


...And Then Marinette

by maddiebug



Series: ...And Then Marinette [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Is a Little Shit, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrinette, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chat thinks Mari is insane and he loves her for it, F/M, Gabriel agreste tries to be a good person and fails miserably, Hawkmoth is the worst, Marichat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Not Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Oneshot for now, She loves Chat as a hero, Someone said this was a mystery fic so, We stan the friendship squad, adrienette - Freeform, aged up 17, at first, definitely potential for more, i swear sometimes, mystery au, no ladybug au, rip Alya, t for language, uhh im figuring it out as i go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 27,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22345789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiebug/pseuds/maddiebug
Summary: When Chat Noir is about to be beaten by an Akuma, help comes from the most unlikely, baguette wielding source, a cute, reckless teenage girl that he has never seen before.Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bi Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Relationship, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Nino Lahiffe
Series: ...And Then Marinette [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808935
Comments: 280
Kudos: 593





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this was a cute idea, I've definitely seen it before, but I don't remember where. I really like badass Marinette.  
> They're aged up a bit in this Au, 17 , Adrien has never gone to public school, Marinette doesn't have a miraculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 6/29/2020: okay I edited this chapter a bit, no big changes, other than Marinette gives Chat her baguette after the battle.

When Chat Noir heard the Akuma laughing, he knew he had fucked up. 

A butterfly was supposed to fly out off the item that he had just cataclysmed. 

It didn't. 

Instead, the Akuma grew to twice its size and picked Chat Noir up and threw him against the ground.

Chat let out a groan. He was never one for throwing punches. Fencing akuma, he could handle. Weird puzzles, he solved quickly. Heck, he could deal with time travelers and teleported, but not this.

Fighting against brute strength, physical force, was not his forte, and Hawkmoth knew it. 

He forced himself to get up off the ground, only to be smacked down again. 

Chat took a sharp breath and stood up again. He was definitely unstable, and swaying when he stood, but he was a hero. No matter how many times he was pushed down, he had to get back up.

He was a hero, and Paris didn't have anyone else. 

The only thing standing between Hawkmoth and total destruction of the world was Chat. 

He didn't have a choice. 

After the third time he was thrown against the concrete he was a little bit slower. 

He didn't even have time to process before be was smashed down again. 

The Akuma was laughing the whole time, toying with him. 

Chat Noir was beat. There was no way that he could win this. 

Then his ring started beeping. 

He had less than five minutes before he transformed back into his regular model self. He couldn't let anyone see that.

But he couldn't run away. He was too weakened from the Akuma. The suit protected him to an extent, but he was sore everywhere. And his head was spinning. 

Chat surveyed his options. 

He could get up and spring away, but only if he could make himself stand without puking. But then all of Paris would think he was a coward. 

Or, he could fight the Akuma, and lose. It would be a noble death, a valiant effort, but he would lose. 

There was no winning. 

It was times like these that Chat really yearned for a sidekick. All of the greatest superheroes had them, he just had himself. 

He gritted his teeth and sat up, holding out fists like he was going to start punching the Akuma. 

It was a weak effort. 

The Akuma laughed in his face. "I truly am the strongest being in Paris. Now give me your miraculous so that -"

"No." 

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." The Akuma smirked, trying to pull his ring off if his finger. 

"I'd rather we not do this at all." Chat clenched his fists tighter, preventing the ring from being removed. 

"Now, now, you don't need to be difficult, kitty."

"Difficult is my middle name." Chat kicked the Akuma, hard. 

The Akuma barely flinched. "I'm invulnerable. You'll have to try harder than that."

"Really?" He groaned. "I'm missing work because of this."

"If you cooperate, we could be done with enough time for you to get to your job."

"Cooperate with Hawkmoth? Not a chance. I'd rather take my chances with you, strong-boy."

"Fine." His grip was like iron. "I'm giving you one more chance."

"No thanks."

"Do you want me to do this the hard way?" The Akuma smiled. "I could break every one of your fingers, one at a time until you give me the miraculous."

"That sounds really unpleasant, no thanks."

"So you'll surrender?"

"I'm thinking." Chat surveyed the area, trying to come up with a plan. His baton was out of arms reach and his punches didn't do anything. 

"Times up. What's the plan? Easy way or the fun way?" The way that the Akuma held Chat's hand made him shiver.

He wasn't going to win. Chat sighed. "Easy way, I guess."

"What?"

Chat bit his tongue. "Usually this is the part where I come up with some brilliant move and win, but I can't."

"You can't?"

"I can't. There's nothing I can do. I'm not going to win this fight."

"Surrendering is no fun." The Akuma pouted. "But I can still have some fun with you."

"Oh please don't." Chat whimpered. "I'm already in pain."

"We're doing this the fun way." The Akuma insisted.

Chat closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come. 

It didn't.

When he opened his eyes, the Akuma wasn't even looking at him anymore. 

It was staring at someone else. 

Chat got a good look at the person and his jaw dropped.

A girl, who was five feet tall at most, with pigtails, black hair, and pink pants had challenged the Akuma. She was holding a baguette like a sword. 

The Akuma laughed. 

"What are you doing?" Chat sighed.

"Saving you, apparently." The girl shrugged. 

"Puny girl." The Akuma rolled its eyes. 

"Please get out of here." Chat sighed. "I really can't let any civilians get injured on my watch."

"Trust me, I won't be." She gave Chat a nod and took another step towards the Akuma.

He sighed. "Just don't tell me that you're planning on using the baguette like a sword."

She looked down, as if only just noticing the bread in her hands. "Haha, I forgot about this." She waved it around. "Want a snack Nino?"

The Akuma growled. "What do you think?"

"Okay, I'd give up for a loaf of bread, but I don't think Akuma victims are on a diet." Chat replied in a half-joking manner.

"If you wanted some bread, kitty, you could just ask."

"Really?"

"Of course-"

"Are you fighting me or not?" The Akuma crossed it's arms. "This is boring. I want to get my revenge on Chloe."

"Why is it always Chloe?" Chat groaned.

"She's the worst." Baguette girl nodded.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes." Both the Akuma and the crazy person told him. 

"I got this." She charged at the Akuma, bread in arms. 

"This is a joke, right?" The Akuma didn't even make a move to stop her.

Chat shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I could pick you up like a flea and throw you halfway across Paris." 

"You could." She shrugged. "But you won't."

"And why is that?"

"Yeah, why is that?" Chat really wanted to know.

"Because, he would never do anything to hurt me. He's my favorite person in the world." 

Chat Noir raised his eyebrows. This girl was certifiably insane. Not only did she run towards an Akuma attack, she was in love with one.

"Really?" The Akuma was eating it up. 

"Yeah." She sent a not so subtle wink in Chat's direction and kicked his baton towards him. "You're so strong and powerful."

"You aren't afraid of me?" The Akuma flexed. "When I became like this, everyone ran in terror. I'm a monster."

"Only on the outside." She stepped closer to the Akuma. "On the inside you're so much more." 

Oh, how Chat wished that someone would whisper those words to him.

"Oh do go on." The Akuma smiled. "I have time."

She stepped closer. "Can I whisper something in your ear?"

"Of course sweetheart." The Akuma picked her up.

She sent a nod towards Chat Noir, almost like a signal. 

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you," she lowered her voice. "That you just lost this round, Hawkmoth."

"What?" The Akuma pulled her away, but it was too late. 

She had grabbed the Akuma's tie and ripped it in half. Out flew a tiny purple butterfly that she threw at Chat Noir. 

The Akuma transformed back into a regular, if angry looking teenage boy. He looked around confused. "Chat Noir? Marinette? What happened?"

"You were akumatized Nino." The girl, Marinette gave him a hug. "It's good to have you back."

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Nino looked her up and down.

"I'm fine." 

"What's that?"

"A baguette."

Nino sighed. "I meant the purple mark on your arm."

"Its just a bruise. I'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry-"

"It wasn't you Nino. Hawkmoth made you that way." Marinette have him a hug.

"I'm still sorry."

"You shouldn't even be apologizing to me, Chloé should be apologizing to you."

"I know I shouldn't let her get on my nerves, but-"

"She was acting horrible." Marinette crossed her arms. "You may have overreacted, but that doesn't excuse what her behavior."

"I just don't like to see my friends get hurt."

"Nino, I'm fine. Really. I can remake the sketchbook."

"Chloé's still a bitch."

"Yeah," Marinette laughed, "she is."

Nino pulled his phone out of his pocket as it started to ring. "I'm so sorry, but I've got to take this."

"Yeah, I get it, go."

"I'm sorry."

She pushed Nino away. "Just go."

After he had walked a fair distance away, Chat Noir cleared his throat, "Am I interrupting something?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Nino is my best friend."

"Your favorite person in the world? Handsome? Strong?"

"I was exaggerating so that I could defeat the Akuma. He's just a friend."

"To you, maybe, but that boy only has eyes for you."

"We've know each other since I was five. Its not like that."

"How old are you guys anyways?"

"We're 17."

"I thought you were younger."

She rolled her eyes. "People usually do."

"Not that its a bad thing. I'm actually 17 too, so I can't even tell you off for fighting akuma at a young age."

"You are?" She stared. "Why would you tell me that?"

"I don't know? I panicked."

"Okay, well here are the facts." She took a breath. "I'm short, I'm 17 and Nino and I are just friends."

"Well, if he doesn't have a chance with you, do I?"

She froze. "What?"

Chat blushed. "Wait. No, pretend I didn't say that. Ahh this is embarrassing."

She chuckled. "Who knew? I always thought you would be more smooth."

"So did I." He groaned. 

"I'm flattered, but I feel like it would be a very bad idea to date a superhero."

"Would it though?"

"It would put a target on my back." She frowned. "Hawkmoth would come after me and my friends and family." 

"That's a valid point."

"Honestly, I'm flattered, and you're amazing, I just don't think you should be dating a civilian."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "You're crazy, has anyone ever told you that."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"You ran towards an Akuma with a baguette."

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"Its still crazy." He shook his head.

She smirked. "You're welcome by the way."

"Thanks for the save." Chat held out a fist. "Good job." 

She gave him a fist bump. "Pound it." 

"You were great out there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I wish I could have someone like you out there with me all the time."

"Yes!" She smiled.

"What?"

"Yes, ill be your sidekick." Her eyes widened, "I could make my own costume and everything. Hmmm. I need to be something lucky, to balance you out. Not a rabbit's foot..."

"No that's not what us was going to say at all."

"It isn't?" She frowned, "what were you going to say."

"Marinette, that stunt you pulled was ridiculous. It shouldn't have worked. Against any other Akuma, you would've been toast. It was pure luck that it worked."

"That's why you need me. I'm your good luck charm."

"You're certifiably insane, that's what you are."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You singlehandedly took down an Akuma that could've smashed you to a pulp."

"Nino's not like that-"

"Yeah, but other people are. You saved my ass out there, but it won't happen again."

"I'm still not sure if you're thanking me or calling me reckless."

"Both." He sighed. "Look, Marinette, right?"

"Dupain-Cheng?"

"Your name is Dupain-Cheng? Like the bakery? I thought Nino calls you-"

"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Like the bakery. The bakers are my parents."

"Really?"

"Yes." 

"I'm such a fan of theirs. Is there anyway you could hook me up with some croissants?"

"Chat, if you show up and I'm there, I will give you as many croissants as you want."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"And you owe me a baguette."

She tossed it to him. "Take it."

"Thank you!" Chat caught the baguette and took a big bite. Mmmm. Carbs. He really needed to talk to Nathalie about his diet plan. 

"No problem. I live in a bakery."

"I think I'm in love."

"What?"

"What?"

"Did you just say that-"

"I need to stop getting distracted." He shook his head. "I appreciate what you did for me. But don't do it again."

"Why not?"

"Because, it won't be that easy next time. I can't let you get hurt. You don't have a magic suit like I do."

"I'm really fast. And resourceful. I can think on my feet, improvise."

"No." 

"Give me a chance."

"Marinette, you're cute."

She winked. "I know."

"And you seem amazing. Honestly. If I could choose someone to be my partner, it would be you."

"So choose me."

"I can't. There's a lot of things that I can't do. I don't have another piece of magical jewelry. I wish I could just wave my hands and fix everything but I can't."

"That doesn't mean that I have to stop helping you."

"Marinette. You saved me. I owe you my life. I can't let you lose yours."

"I just want to help."

"You can."

"Ladybug!" She shouted.

"What?"

"I'll be your sidekick, Ladybug." She smiled. "Good luck to counter the bad."

He definitely had to do the responsible hero thing and stop her from fighting Akuma. But the idea of her helping him make his heart pound. He wasn't going to admit how adorable he found the idea of her being the Ladybug to his Chat Noir.

His ring started beeping frantically. "There's so many ways that you can help without risking your life."

"Like what?"

"You could help evacuate, or build new homes for people who have suffered losses due to Akuma." He shrugged. "I've got to go, but promise me you won't be so reckless again."

"Fine."

"Promise?" He held out his pinky. 

"I will never run directly towards an Akuma again." She shook his pinky. "Unless Chat Noir needs my help."

"Hey-"

"You've got to go, remember?" 

"Oh, right." He took one look at his ring and jumped. Less than a minute until he turned back into Adrien Agreste.

Chat Noir sped out of there, his head spinning, legs aching. 

One thing was for sure. He had fallen hard for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And he wasn't the only one either, Nino had it bad for her too. She was the most incredible woman he had ever met. He couldn't let any harm come to her.

And he knew that there was nothing he would be able to do to stop her from fighting by his side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like, I have so many ideas for this au. I'm gonna list them and let me know which ones are you favorite.  
> So like, obviously Marinette keeps helping Chat Noir,  
> Maybe Adrien transfers into her school to try to be her friend.  
> He and Nino are both desperately in love with her, she only has eyes for someone else (Chat Noir)  
> Idk if Alya will be in this. Hmmm.  
> Nino, Mari and Adrien are the squad.  
> Nino and Adrien pine over Mari together.  
> Definitely reverse lovesquare.  
> I could do an umbrella scene in this au ooh that would be fun,  
> Just some civilian Mari fighting akuma. That's actually most of my idea.  
> At some point she's going to kiss Adrien and feel conflicted because she really likes Chat, but Adrien too? (Maybe a dark Cupid au chapter?)  
> I'm thinking at some point, near the end, she's going to get the actual Ladybug earrings as like a family heirloom and then they'll be an actual team. Chat will reveal that he's her awkward friend Adrien who has a crush on her and she will admit that she's actually liked Chat all along.  
> ....  
> That's my eventual plan for this fic but I don't have a lot of time right now, so ill leave it marked as a one shot for now. It definitely could end where it is, but I don't think it will.
> 
> I also might just make it into a series of oneshots in this au, rather than a whole story?
> 
> Let me know what you think (so far?)  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien convinces his dad to let him transfer into school

As Adrien was practicing piano, Chloe was rambling on and on. 

Honestly, he wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying. It was about school and her other friends, who he didn't really know. He had met Sabrina a few times, but really, Chloe was his only friend. 

Her mother had an important business meeting with his father, so if course, they had to hang out. 

Chloe was a pain sometimes, but she was one of his best friends. No one else would sit with him and watch disney movies. When he lost his mom, Chloe had sleepovers for a whole week. She was always there to support him.

And push him to do things that he didn't really want to. 

"Listen, Chloe, for the last time, there's no way that I'm going to be able to convince my father to let me transfer to public school. It's never worked before."

"This time is different." She was practically begging him. "Youre my best friend, Adrikins, school would be so much more interesting with you around."

Adrien agreed that it would be interesting to go to school and interact with his peers, but it was unrealistic. "I wish I could, but I really don't think it'll happen."

"Well, if I can't have you in my class, I just hope that Dupain-Cheng isn't in it."

Dupain-Cheng... as in Marinette? Baguette girl? He knew they were the same age, but what were the odds that she went to the same school as Chloe. "Who?" 

"Marinette? I've told you about her before. Her parents are bakers, she's the worst."

It was the same Marinette. "Yeah, you've mentioned her a few times."

"Of course I have. I can't stand her. Once, she had the audacity to...."

Adrien blocked out the rest of what Chloe was saying.

If he transferred into Chloe's class, he could go to school with Marinette. He could get the free croissants she promised Chat.

"...Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." She finished. 

"I totally agree." He waved her off. 

"You do?" She gave him a confused look.

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows. "Now, more important business, how do we convince my father that I should go to school?" 

"Oh!" She squealed, "I have a list that I've been making for the last three years. I've been waiting for this moment forever."

"You have?"

"Adri, you're my best friend. If there's anything that'll convince your dad, I have it written down. Give me a minute." She scrolled through her phone before passing it over to Adrien. 

He read over the first few bullet points. "This is perfect." He grabbed his laptop and started typing. "Chloe, if this works, I love you."

"Of course you do. I'm amazing." She smiled. "I hope this works."

"So do I." 

So, Adrien may have had slightly different motives than Chloe but she didn't need to know that. He really did want to spend more time with her.

If she had any idea that he was in love with her archenemy then she would stop helping him. 

...

After a fifteen minute PowerPoint presentation, complete with a handout and multiple graphs, even Nathalie looked impressed. 

There was an awkward moment of silence before his father responded. "Do you really want to go to school? Haven't you heard about all the bullying and bad things that happen?"

"I have. But I do want to go. As I said earlier, I think it would be beneficial for me to interact with my peers. If I don't go to public school this year, then when I reach university next year, it'll be a completely new environment and I don't know how well I'd be able to function."

"You have to admit, he really thought this out." Nathalie nodded. 

"I agree." Gabriel sighed. "Are you sure this is what you want? I'm only trying to protect you. There's been so much chaos and destruction, with Hawkmoth and everything."

"I'm sure." Adrien could handle Hawkmoth, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. It would probably give his father a heart attack. "And you know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"You aren't going to die." His father rolled his eyes.

"I want a challenge. I'm above average on every test I take, for every class. I'm fluent in three languages. The only thing I can't do is interact with my peers."

"I see."

"And if you want me to take over the business, I'm going to need to learn how to compromise, how to work with other people."

"Fine." His father took a breath. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes."

"You can to to school." 

Adrien could have started singing a song. "Thank you father."

"As long as you keep up with your studies."

"Of course."

"And you'll have to leave sometimes for modeling."

"I understand. Thank you father."

"You made a good point son."

After Adrien left the room, Nathalie turned to Gabriel. "I think that was the right choice sir."

"Did you see how happy he was? Was homeschooling him really that terrible?"

"No. You did what you thought was best."

"He prepared a 20 minute presentation, Nathalie. Most teenagers have the attention span of a goldfish."

"You've raised him right."

"I sure hope so." Gabriel sighed, looking at the photo of his wife that he kept on his desk. "I just hope he doesn't end up like me."

"You've done great things."

"But also terrible." Gabriel chuckled. "At least he isn't Chat Noir."

"Could you imagine?"

"I couldn't. I'd hate myself, if it was my son out there, fighting me everyday. Chat Noir's too rebellious, but he's got everything that Adrien doesn't."

"Like what?"

"He isn't afraid to speak his mind. Chat Noir is the worst, but you have to admit, he's got spunk."

"I guess."

"Now, we need to look into that girl who took down the Akuma last week. What information have we gathered on her."

"Not much. You know what she looks like?"

"Yes. But that's it. I didn't catch her name or anything."

"Well, we know she's French."

"Probably around Adrien's age."

"Yeah."

"If we can find her, we're one step closer to finding Chat Noir."


	3. Finally a chapter that's mostly about Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week is finals week and I didn't have any finals today so I wrote this right after I woke up. I probably won't keep updating every day, but who knows. I have so many good ideas for this fic.

When Marinette woke up for the first day of school, the last thing she wanted to deal with was Chloé. 

There was a 50% chance that they would end up in the same class, and honestly, that was too high of a chance. Marinette had already written the school a polite email, requesting to switch classes, if possible. 

There was a response that said that both classes were full and a switch would be impossible, except in extreme circumstances. (Apparently, Chloé wasn't extreme enough).

Marinette had already been having a bad day. She was grounded, after the stunt she bad pulled with the akuma. 

Luckily, it wasn't on the news or anything, but when Nino came over to hang out, he mentioned it and her parents were beyond worried. They made her stay at home, for her own safety, until school started. 

She wasn't completely alone, she spent a lot of time in the bakery, helping out, which really was fun, and she had free time to work on designing, but she wanted to run outside. 

It was stupid, but she missed the adrenaline rush from when she helped with that Akuma. 

Chat Noir could manage on his own. He'd been doing it for years.

So why did it feel like she belonged there? 

Marinette had already designed an entire superhero costume for herself, not that she would ever use it. She was impulsive, not reckless. She didn't have any magic to save her. 

But still, she had felt like something was missing. 

Maybe it was just teenage rebellion. 

She grabbed her backpack and climbed down the ladder, ready for school. 

She have her parents hugs, and assured them that she would be fine, she could walk to school without a problem. 

Her school had never had any Akuma attacks. It was outside of the 'zone.' While the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower had been completely destroyed by Akuma, most of Paris was fine.

Marinette walked into her classroom, and sat next to a new girl. 

"Kagami." 

"I'm Marinette."

"It's nice to meet you." 

The conversation was a little awkward and stilted, but Marinette had never been great at making friends. 

Luckily, Chloé didn't appear to be in her class. Nino wasn't there either yet, but he was usually late, so she wasn't too worried. 

She looked at the doorway and smiled. Nino gave her a wave and went to sit across from her. 

Then she grimaced. Right behind Nino was Chloé and her followers, Sabrina and some new guy.

"Dupain-Cheng, what are you doing in my seat?"

Sabrina crossed her arms, while the new guy just stared at her.

"Your name isn't on it." Marinette rolled her eyes. "I can sit where I want." 

"Ugh. My father will hear about this." Chloé huffed and stomped away, Sabrina trailing not far behind.

The new guy have her a soft smile. "I'm Adrien."

"Marinette." She frowned. "You're Chloé's friend, right?"

"Yeah, she's the best." 

Marinette had to hold back a laugh. "You're pretty funny, Adrien." 

After he walked away, sitting next to Nino, (the audacity), she turned to the new girl. "The last thing we need is another Chloé."

"Chloé seemed pretty rude. Is she always like that?"

"Pretty much. I don't know how I'm gonna deal with her this year. Especially if that New kid is like her."

"Adrien?" Kagami looked confused. "I've known him for a while and he's nothing like her. At least from what I've seen."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's kind and sweet. And makes so many puns about fencing. He's kind of a dork."

"Huh." Marinette looked across the aisle, making eye contact with the boy they were talking about. "I hope you're right. I couldn't deal with two people acting like Chloe."

"Well, if it makes a difference, I'll be here for you. I think we'd be great friends."

Marinette tried to ignore the feeling in her neck, like someone was watching her. It was probably just Nino, or Chloé glaring at her. "Yeah." She smiled. "Friends."

Maybe this year wouldn't be all bad. 

...

Adrien went to sit in front of Chloé, next to Nino, if he remembered correctly. 

He smiled and sat down, "I'm Adrien." 

Nino looked at him skeptically. "Nino. You're Chloé's friend, right?"

"Why does everyone keep saying it like that?" Sure, Marinette and Chloé hated each other, but Chloé wasn't all bad.

"She's not exactly the nicest person I know." 

"I've only had two friends, and I've known Chloé the longest. She's not all that bad."

Nino's gaze softened. "You were homeschooled right?"

"Yeah, but I won't be behind in any of the classes, I'm very intelligent-"

"Whoa, I wasn't trying to insult you. But, you know, if Chloé is your only friend, I was going to offer to be a new friend."

Adrien's smile could've lit up the room. "I'd like that."

"Yeah." 

Adrien looked across the aisle at Marinette and smiled. She made eye contact and gave him a weird look, like she knew a secret. 

But there was no way that she knew he was Chat Noir. The magic was supposed to protect from that. Right? She was staring at him. Or through him. It was almost unsettling.

"Oh no." Nino grumbled, "not you too."

"What?"

"You like Marinette."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Adrien's blush gave him away. "Okay maybe I like her but its a secret."

"Join the club." Nino laughed. "At this point like half the class has had a crush on her at one point or another, she's amazing."

"She seems nice." Adrien shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

"Last week, she saved me from an Akuma. That girl is incredible. Fearless. You definitely don't want to be on her bad side."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"She's also pretty oblivious. I've been dropping hints that I like her for years and she's never seemed to notice. She's one of my best friends, and I. She's just amazing."

"Yeah." 

"You should definitely eat lunch with us. Her parents own a bakery and it's the best."

"Maybe another time." While that really sounded fun, Adrien's dad expected him he for lunch. "My father wants me to come home for lunch."

"That's too bad. You should ask him if you can hang out with us tomorrow."

"I will." Adrien smiled. "Nino, do you like videogames?"

"No... but Marinette does."

Nino really did like her. He brought her up every other sentence. She really had to be blind to not see it. 

Or she was in love with someone else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I replaced Alya with Kagami and I will not apologize.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has such fun dynamics and I can't stop writing it

The next day, Adrien walked into class with a spring in his step. His father had given the okay for him to eat lunch with friends and he couldn't wait to spend time with such nice people. 

Then he saw Chloé hovering over Marinette's seat.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just making sure she knows her place." Chloé smirked at him.

The way she spat out the words made Adrien a little uncomfortable. Weren't they all classmates, all equals. "What do you mean?"

Without responding, Chloé spit out her gum and stuck it to the seat. "If she wants my seat she can have it."

"That's so rude." Adrien rushed over to the seat and tried to pick up the gum, but it was stuck. Everything he did just made it worse. 

A hand tapped on his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?"

It was Marinette. 

He got lost in her beautiful blue eyes. He stared at her, speechless for wayy too long. He couldn't find a response. "I uh-"

"Well? Got an answer pretty boy?"

"You think I'm pretty?" He sighed.

"Really? That's what you heard me say?" She rolled her eyes.

Wrong answer.

"What were you doing in my seat?"

Adrien smiled sheepishly. "Trying to help?"

"Who? By putting gum there?"

"Not exactly-"

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, the first step to being helpful would be to stop playing childish pranks on me."

"This isn't what it looks like-"

"Yeah I'm sure."

"Seriously-"

"You don't have to listen to whatever Chloé tells you. The last thing we need is another one of her minions."

"I was trying to take the gum off." 

"And I was trying to be your friend." Marinette pushed him aside, picking up the gum with a napkin. "Maybe both of us made mistakes." She sat down and faced the other way, towards Kagami. 

Adrien shook his head and moved to sit next to Nino. 

"Yikes." Nino shook his head. "She's pissed."

"You saw what happened, right? It wasn't me."

"Yeah man, I know. Sometimes Marinette makes judgements too quickly, she'll come around."

"Are you sure? I really just want to be everyone's friend. I don't want to make anyone mad."

"I'm sure. Marinette really is amazing. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I hope so."

"If you want, I can talk to her for you later. I can explain what happened."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't be blamed for something you didn't do."

Adrien gave his new friend a hug. "You're the best Nino!"

"Thanks..."

...

Kagami frowned. "You didn't even give him a chance to speak, Marinette."

"He was putting gum on my seat, like a jerk. I didn't need an explanation."

"Did you physically see him put the gum on your seat?"

"Well, no but he was touching it."

"So, he could've been trying to take it off?"

"Maybe. But it's unlikely. He's friends with Chloé and she hates me."

Kagami shrugged. "I really don't think Adrien is like that. He would never do anything to deliberately hurt anyone."

"Maybe." Marinette shrugged. "But I know what I saw."

"You should give him a second chance." 

"He's friends with Chloé."

"Yeah, but he's also friends with me."

"That's... a fair point." She sighed. "Okay, ill give him another chance."

"Go talk to him." Kagami nudged her. 

"I- not yet." Marinette frowned. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. If I was wrong, and just snapped at him, he probably wants some space." 

"Maybe."

"So," Marinette switched up the subject, "do you have any plans for lunch today? I noticed that yesterday you stayed at school."

"I did. I ate with Alix and Kim." Kagami made a face. "They're very energetic."

"Would you like to eat lunch at my house? My parents own a bakery, and... oh, usually its just me and Nino, but other friends are always welcome."

"Friends?" Kagami smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great," Marinette smiled. "The more the merrier."

...

"Nino invited you?" Marinette grimaced. "Okay. The more the merrier."

As they headed over to Marinette's house, both Adrien and Kagami seemed overly excited. Marinette kept glaring at Nino and he avoided her gaze. 

When they walked inside, they were met with hugs. 

"Marinette, Nino, how was school? Who are your friends?" Her mom asked.

"I'm Kagami." She shook her hand.

"And I'm Adrien." 

"It's very nice to meet you guys. Its not often that Marinette brings new friends over."

Marinette winced. "Mommm."

Nino chuckled. "We can sit over here you guys." He went over to a table for four people.

"I'm Marinette's mom, but you can call me Sabine. And that's her dad, Tom."

"It's very nice to meet you." Adrien smiled.

"Aren't you sweet." Sabine smiled at Marinette. "You two would be so cute together."

"I- ugh what?" Adrien stammered.

"He gets nervous around new people." Nino patter his shoulder. "Let's sit down.

"Okay."

Together, Kagami and Nino walked Adrien over to the table.

"So, he seems nice." Sabine winked at her daughter.

"No." 

"No?"

"It's complicated. Ill explain later." Marinette frowned. "He's Nino's friend."

"Play nice."

"I will, Mom." 

"Do you guys want anything? We just made some croissants."

"That would be amazing." Marinette smiled. "You're the best."

"I know." Sabine shooed her away. "Now go, sit with your friends."

...

Lunch was weird and tense. 

Marinette and Kagami chatted about shared interests and fun activities. Nino and Adrien got alone just fine. 

Marinette kept making jokes with Nino and he'd smile and laugh along. 

Kagami and Adrien talked about fencing and strict parents. 

They mostly got along great. 

But whenever Marinette tried to talk to Adrien, it didn't work.

He would take one look at her and freeze, like a scratched disk on an old video game. 

She tried to be nice and make conversation, but she was still mad from the incident in the morning and he wasn't making it any easier but not responding to her. 

He was really shy. Almost like he was afraid of her, which was ridiculous. She was 5'2 and could barely pack a punch. He had nothing to fear. 

It didn't help that whenever Adrien got the courage to ask her a question, she shot him a glare. It was on reflex and she didn't mean it, but still.

It was awkward. 

After a while, Nino pulled her aside to chat. Privately.

"Marinette, what are you doing?"

"You didn't tell me you were inviting him. I didn't know how to respond."

"Friends are always welcome here."

"Yeah, but he's not my friend." Marinette rolled her eyes. "I don't even know his last name."

"Neither do I, but he needs friends."

"Really?" She scoffed, "He has Chloé. And Kagami."

"Chloé was his Only friend for years. He needs better friends than that."

"You are a better friend than that. Why me?"

"Because, I think you two would get along."

"He's a jerk."

"He's really nice."

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "Putting gum on my chair is really nice."

"It wasn't him. It was Chloé."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I saw the whole thing go down." Nino shrugged. "He really was trying to take it off."

"Oh, he wasn't lying." Marinette frowned. "Maybe I've been treating him too harshly."

"Yeah I think so. You really should get to know the guy. He's pretty lonely."

"We have nothing in common. I can be a nice classmate without being his friend."

"Mari." Nino looked at her. "He needs good friends, and you're the best one I know."

"I don't even know where to start. We have nothing in common."

"You'd be surprised."

"Really? What do I even talk about with him?"

"You can start by asking him about video games."

"But then I have to swallow my pride and admit that I was wrong."

"We all do, sometimes."

"I hate that."

"Yeah, Nette," he chuckled. "I know you do."

She glanced at the clock. "There's not enough lunchtime left. Ill be nice today, and apologize tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"I have to figure out what to say. Maybe I'll make him some cookies. We can start over."

"That sounds like a plan, Mari."

"Hey, I'm proud of you for making new friends without me."

"It's what she would want, isn't it? For both of us?"

"Yeah, she'd be really proud of you." Marinette smiled.

"And you with Kagami? That's crazy, you're really getting more confident."

"I just decided to be who I want to be. I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"Yeah, I saw how you stood up to Chloé. That was really cool Marinette."

"Thanks, Nino."

"I... I think you're really cool."

She punched his shoulder playfully. "I think you're really cool too Nino. You're a really good friend. Let's get back to lunch."

When she walked back over to Kagami and Adrien, she missed the way that Nino's face fell, only a little.

He was glad to have such great friends, but wished that Marinette wasn't quite so blind.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I wrote a lot today and there's still like 3000 words in drafts that I think I'll post tomorrow? Unless yall want it right now lol.


	5. Chapter 5

When they all walked back to school together, things weren't quite so awkward. Marinette and Adrien were talking just as much as everyone else in the group. 

Things seemed to be going great. 

Until they got to school and heard a loud, roaring monster. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Adrien swore. "An Akuma."

"Everyone, go, hide." Marinette pushed them away. "I'll distract it."

"Oh no you don't." Nino grabbed her arms. "You need to get somewhere safe too, Nette."

"Don't endanger yourself." Adrien frowned.

Kagami looked confused. "Do you have a habit of running into Akuma attacks?"

"Yes." Nino sighed. 

"Only very recently." Marinette assured them. "Just once, really."

"It's not safe." Adrien looked around for a place to transform, letting go if her arm. "Where do we go."

"We run back to my house." Marinette shrugged. "It's far enough away that we should be safe."

"Hopefully." Nino frowned.

"Usually Akuma stay inside their zone, don't they?" Kagami, having been homeschooled for most if her life, tended to be indoors when the attacks happened. "Usually I just go hide in our basement, it's safe from pretty much everything."

"Not today though." Marinette grabbed Nino and Kagami's hands and they started running. "The bakery usually is pretty safe, let's go."

Adrien trailed behind for a while before darting into an alley to transform. 

"That was really cutting it close. Plagg, Claws out!"

...

As Chat Noir was pinned against a wall, struggling to fight back against the growing mass of concrete surrounding him, a familiar bluenette threw a bag at him. 

"Think fast, Kitty-cat."

He caught it. "What am I supposed to do with sugar?"

"It ruins concrete. Mix it while it's still wet." She had a similar bag and was sprinkling it everywhere she walked. 

"That's good to know." He struggled to get out of the blob of concrete threatening to drown him. "Luckily, it's mostly coming after me."

"Yeah, it's only trying to cover my shoes." She frowned. "Where is the Akuma anyways?" 

"It ran that way." He pointed. "But don't go after it until I'm ready," he sighed, pulling the other leg out. "And she's gone. Of course."

He started running in the direction he had told her to go.

Before he turned the corner, she was there, holding the Akuma in a jar that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "I think this is what you're looking for?"

"Yeah." He took it from her. "Cataclysm."

"You're welcome." She smiled. 

"We need to have a serious talk about you being reckless."

"You're the same age as me and you do this every day. I couldn't let you fight alone." 

"You don't have a magical suit to protect you. We aren't the same."

"Please," she scoffed. "he couldn't hurt me. I made his powers useless."

"You should be hiding. You promised that you would stay safe."

"Unless you needed my help. You needed help." 

"Marinette. You have to stay out of trouble. I'm not going to always be there to protect you." Chat smiled. "As much as I appreciate everything you've done, I can't let you get hurt."

She crossed her arms. "I can protect myself. I'm your sidekick, remember?"

"I can't have you as a sidekick. Its not safe."

"Maybe I don't want to be safe."

Chat Noir glared at her. "I'm only trying to protect you." After he said the words, he felt sick. That was what his father would always say. "Sorry. I. I just care about you too much to see you get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either." She whispered. 

"Magic suit."

"I'm madly clumsy. No matter what I do, I'm going to get hurt."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "How did you even get out here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nino- I saw you running with your friends in the opposite direction?"

"Oh, yeah. Once we got to my house, it was easy to run out here and help you."

"How? Out the window?" That was his usual method of escape, not that she needed to know.

"No," she blushed. "I actually have a rooftop balcony."

"What?" 

"Yeah. It was easy." She shrugged like it was an everyday activity.

His heart skipped a beat. "You jumped off a roof? Are you insane?"

"What? No, I'm not that crazy." Marinette rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I yeeted myself off the balcony. I'm not that reckless."

"What did you do then?"

"I just ran to my room, climbed up the ladder to the balcony, jumped across a couple roofs, went down a fire escape, crossed the street, and ran here."

It took him a Second to process. "Whoa."

"What?"

"You're impressive."

"Thanks."

"But in a crazy way." He shook his head. "You seriously need to be better about your safety."

"Maybe next time." She started walking away. 

"Nope." He grabbed her arm. "I'm making sure you get home. Safe. Your parents are probably worried about you."

"Fine." She winced. "But just put me on the balcony, don't tell them what I did. They might have a heart attack."

"Fine. I'll let it go this time princess, but please try to be safe."

"I'll try." 

He carried her across rooftops to her home, following her directions even though he mostly knew the way. "This is a nice balcony."

"Thanks for the ride, Chaton."

"No problem. Just stay safe."

"I will." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Unless you need my help."

"The only thing I want you to help with is croissants."

"Luckily for you, I live above a bakery." She smiled. "You can come back anytime."

"Anytime?"

"Yeah. I'm usually awake pretty late. I imagine you're busy, being a superhero and all, but I wouldn't mind the company."

"I might have to take you up on that, Mari." His ring started beeping. "I've got to go."

"Me too." She waved. "See you soon."

"Yeah."

As he dashed away to transform back, his face felt warm. She had kissed his cheek...

Chat Noir's cheek, but he was the same person as Adrien. 

They could definitely be friends.

...

Marinette climbed down the ladder into her room only to see Nino staring at her. 

"Oh shit." She closed her eyes. "What are the chances of this staying between us?"

"Not good."

"But-" 

"Marinette, what the hell were you thinking?" He glared.

"I was thinking that Chat Noir needed my help."

"He's a superhero. You're just a regular girl. A clumsy one, might I add."

"This is the last time I will do that, I promise." 

"That's what you said last time."

She shrugged. "He needed my help. I saw the concrete spreading and knew exactly how to defeat it."

"Chat could've figured it out on his own. He didn't need you."

"But he did." 

"That was a stupid stunt to pull." Nino was mad, he almost seemed jealous.

Marinette didn't understand all of his sudden emotion. "What do you mean?"

"Inviting him to hang out and way croissants? He's a superhero. I'm sure he has better things to do with his time than that."

"I was just trying to be nice, Nino. He seems lonely. He probably needs a friend."

"He's a literal superhero. He could be friends with anyone. For all we know, he could be a murderer."

"He's not a murderer." Marinette defended.

"But he could be. We don't know him."

"He's a good guy."

"You don't know him. Why did you invite him over to your house?" Nino crossed his arms. "When did you become so reckless?"

"When did you become so controlling?" She snapped. "I thought you were supposed to be my best friend?"

"I don't know," he yelled, "maybe when you decided that it was a good idea to run towards an akuma?"

"Why are you so mad at me? I just want to help people. Nino, you're my best friend. Why don't you understand?"

"I'm not mad." His voice got quieter.

"You aren't?"

"No, I was scared."

"Scared? That Akuma was nothing."

"I wasn't scared of the Akuma. I was scared of losing you."

"I was fine-"

"Mari, I can't lose you too. Once an Akuma destroys something, its gone. We don't have a magical cure to save the day."

"I'm sorry Nino."

Nino looked out her window into the distance. "We learned that the hard way. She used to run towards Akuma too."

"No." Marinette clenched her fists. "Don't talk about her like that."

"It wasn't fair of me to bring her up. I'm sorry." Nino shook his head. "When you run off like that, I'm worried that you might never come back."

"Nino. I swear, I will always come back. For you, for my parents. I won't let them get me."

"It might not be that simple. When you run away like that, it terrified me. And Adrien ran off too. I can't lose all of my friends in one day. I've lost enough already."

"God." She winced. "I didn't mean to remind you of-"

"It's been a while." He cut her off. "She's not coming back. She would want me to move on."

"Yeah. She would. She really would." Marinette smiled weakly. "She'd want us all to move on."

"You're safe."

"I am."

"Now we just have to find Adrien."

"We will find him. You didn't lose anyone today, Nino."

"Not today."

"I'm right here." She squeezed his hand.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me, I love you Marinette."

She gave him a hug. "I love you too Nino, you're like a brother to me." 

"I can't lose you." He repeated, starting to sob. 

"You're shaking." She patted his back. "Its okay. You can cry. I won't judge you."

Her trapdoor opened and Kagami stuck her head up. "Hey, we found Adrien, the attack is over- am I interrupting something?"

"No." Marinette gestured. "You guys should come up here too. That was really scary. For all of us. Nino needs a hug."

Nino nodded and welcomed their friends. 

It was a little awkward, but soon all four teens were hugging each other and crying.

Adrien was the first to pull away. "Thanks you guys. I needed that."

"I didn't realize how much I was holding in until it all came out." Kagami looked surprised as she wiped the years from her eyes.

Marinette looked at Nino. "Its okay. We are all here, we are all safe."

"I can't lose any of you guys. You really scared me." Nino grabbed Adrien's hand. "I thought I lost you buddy."

"Never." Adrien smiled. "You're my bro, remember."

"Yeah."

Marinette smiled at Adrien. "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you're safe too."

Nino winked at Marinette. "Look at you, making friends."

"Maybe I just needed something to put it in perspective. I shouldn't be petty." She smiled. "We all need good friends to support us."


	6. Here's this Au's umbrella scene

After school, Marinette was one of the last people to leave. Adrien was already outside, waiting to be picked up. 

She stuck a hand out from under the awning and frowned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"It's raining." Marinette shivered. "And with all the chaos of today, I forgot my coat."

"Take this." Adrien handed her an umbrella. His umbrella.

"No, you don't have to," she insisted, crossing her arms. "I'll be fine. It's just across the street."

"Take it. I don't want you to get sick."

"Thanks." She took it, unsure how to open it. 

"What see friends for?" He have her a smile.

"Right. Friends..." she sighed, "look, Adrien-" Marinette kept fiddling with the umbrella. 

He cut her off. "I want you to know that I really was trying to get the gum off of your seat. I've never been to school before, never really had friends. I'm new to all of this."

"Yeah. I talked to Nino." She blushed. "I may have come to the wrong conclusions."

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." He smiled. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course." She shrugged. "And I'm sorry for judging you so quickly. I owe you an apology too."

A car pulled up. 

"That's my ride." He waved. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." As he walked away, she paused. "Wait."

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"We should start over. As friends. No more misunderstandings." She held out a hand in the rain. "I'm Marinette."

He shook it. "Adrien."

"Do you want to come over to my house for lunch tomorrow? Nino says you like videogames and I am, not to brag, the best at UMS."

"I might just have to take you up on that, Nette. I'll ask my dad." He smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

After Marinette opened the umbrella, She walked home, feeling happy that she had one more friend to add to the list. Her first week of school had been, so far pretty good. 

Other than the whole, 'her parents didn't trust her because she kept running into akuma attacks thing,' it had been pretty much perfect.

She and Nino were doing really well, all things considered, and Kagami and Adrien seemed like great new friends. 

It would be a while before Marinette could work up the courage to explain why she and Nino didn't really have any other friends, but Adrien and Kagami seemed understanding. They hadn't asked. 

Adrien had given her his umbrella without even asking. 

Kagami pushed Marinette away, to safety.

In their own ways, they reminded Marinette of _her_.

A lot of things did. 

Every day, Marinette became a little more like _her_.

She found herself being reckless, running towards Akuma attacks. Marinette didn't record or report on them, but she thought about it, restarting the blog as an homage. It was still running. Every once in a while, Marinette would open the blog and see anonymous tips and posts, but nothing from _Her. She_ was gone. 

Marinette wanted to dye her hair red, to honor _her._ Marinette was no lounger mourning, but she would never forget _her._

Nino wouldn't either. Marinette and Nino really became best friends after the incident. 

_She_ was the reason that Nino was so afraid. Marinette and Nino had been there as she was hit. While recording a live stream, _She_ got hit by an Akuma and turned to stone. Years later, Marinette still had nightmares, she could see the terrified look on _her_ face, frozen forever in stone.

And every month Marinette and Nino would put flowers by _her_ statue, visit and say a few words. _She_ had been their best friend.

Nino was scared of Marinette because they had already lost _her._ If there was anyway that they could bring _her_ back, they would. But it was impossible. Akuma attacks were irreversible. And they affected each person differently.

Nino was so overprotective because he couldn't lose another person. 

And Marinette was reckless because she had already faced her worst fear, and came out fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I'm fairly certain you can guess who "she" is at this point because this chapter said everything except her name..  
> Okay so at this point I'm thinking two options. Please let me know which one you like better.  
> Either Marinette stays a civilian and makes her own costume to be Chat's sidekick OR, after a couple chapters, she somehow gets the bee miraculous and becomes Marigold (thanks Scarlet Lady Au for the name) 
> 
> Either way, she will somehow end up with the Ladybug Miraculous in like the last chapter, but I'm not sure if I want to give her a temporary miraculous.


	7. Some Adrienette friendship and also Adrien and Nino friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like the General consensus seemed to be that Marinette with the bee miraculous is a good idea, but Marinette on her own is badass and we Stan, so I'm going to continue writing this without a miraculous, I might write a companion fic where she gets the bee miraculous, but in this one, she is just Marinette

The next day at lunchtime, Adrien and Marinette were walking to her home. 

"Are you sure we shouldn't have invited Nino, or Kagami?" Adrien asked, looking behind them.

"Kagami's going home for lunch today, Nino's always welcome at my house, he knows that." Marinette shrugged. "He just wants some space, after everything that happened yesterday."

"What happened?" Adrien had to play dumb, because, while Chat Noir knew that Marinette ran into the Akuma fight, Adrien didn't.

"Well, first, we lost you in the chaos of running to my house. That made Nino panic."

"Nino was worried about me?" Adrien smiled. "He really cares."

"Yeah, he's your friend." Marinette nudged Adrien. "Your best bro."

"But I've only known him for like three days?"

"Nino's just like that." Marinette smiled, thinking about her best friend, before it slowly became a frown. "He's really empathetic and he cares. Especially after what happened with _her."_

Adrien looked around, confused. "With who?"

Marinette blinked. "Oh sorry, didn't mean for that to get so dark. It's probably a conversation for another time."

"Okay." Adrien frowned. Whatever secret Marinette was hiding, he wanted to know. Whenever she was ready.

"Also yesterday I jumped off my balcony and ran into the Akuma attack to save Chat Noir. Nino was pretty worried about both of us after that."

"You- What?!" Adrien jumped in fake surprise. "Are you insane? That's so dangerous-"

"Shhhh. Not in front of my parents." She opened her door. "C'mon, we can grab some croissants before we play games."

"I love croissants. They're my favorite food." Adrien sighed. 

"Mine too." She smiled. "If we go quickly, we might be able to avoid my mom."

"Avoid her? Why? She's so nice."

"Yeah she is." Marinette blushed. "Too nice."

"What do you mean?"

"If she sees me. Alone, with you, she's gonna tease me."

"About what?"

"Well, this isn't a date." Marinette pointed out. "We're friends. She was teasing me about you yesterday too and I can't handle that again." 

"Oh. OH." After a moment, he got what she was implying. "She thinks that you like me?" 

"Yeah."

"And you don't." Adrien tried not to let his face fall.

"Sorry, pretty boy, but I like someone else." She closed her eyes, picturing the hero of her dreams.

"Who? Nino?"

Marinette started laughing. "What? No. He's like a brother to me!"

"Then who?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me who you like." She smirked.

Adrien blushed. He couldn't just say it, could he? "You."

"What?" Marinette blushed. Adrien couldn't be sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. 

"You- really have a good point there." He covered up, talking quickly as if he had paused at the wrong time. "Its too personal of a question and lets play some games."

She looked down. "Me?"

"No, no it was just really bad timing."

"You're cute when you're nervous." Marinette blushed. "But, you're a model so you're always pretty."

"Thanks." He felt his face blush more.

She grabbed a few pastries and led him upstairs, as an awkward silence fell over the two. 

"You don't have to tell me who you like, but for the record, I like Chat Noir." She handed him a wiimote. 

He dropped it on the floor. "You-"

"Yes. I know it's embarrassing and Nino makes fun of me all the time for it."

"Why?" The better question, was 'why not Adrien?' Chat Noir made things messy and complicated. If she liked Adrien it would be easier.

"How could I not? He's a hero, he saves everyone. He's kind, and funny and super hot." She thought about the man of her dreams. "He's loyal, and doesn't give up. I really admire him.

"Have you talked to him a lot? Did he save you or something?" Adrien was once again, asking questions that he already knew the answers to.

"We've talked a few times. I've saved him more than he's saved me though." She kinda chuckled.

Adrien felt himself falling more for the girl sitting across from him. "Do you think he knows?"

"Hell no." She laughed.."There's no way. I mean, every person in Paris has a crush on him. You have to admit, but I'd never tell him that I love him."

"Why not?"

"For one thing, he already thinks I'm crazy, for running into Akuma battles without a magical suit, and for another, if I started dating Chat Noir, Hawkmoth would come after me." Marinette frowned. "I don't have a chance with Chat Noir, and even if I did, the risk to my family and friends would be too much."

"Wow. You've really thought this out."

"Of course I have." She shrugged. "I mean, you can't tell me that you haven't imagined a whole future with the girl, or guy, no judgement, that you like."

"No." He looked at her. "I can't."

"Now," Marinette smirked. "get ready to lose at Mario kart." 

"Huh?"

"UMS is downstairs and I don't need my mom teasing me about having a boy over." She blinked. "If you really want me to get it I can, but-"

"No, no, Mario kart is totally fine." Adrien. insisted. "I love it."

"Ready to lose, pretty boy?"

"You're on." He looked at the screen and laughed. "You're Toad?"

"Yeah, he's my lucky character." She looked at him. "You're Yoshi so you have no right to judge me."

"You know what, that's valid."

"Are you ready?"

"Lets race."

...

After an hour of Mariokart and croissants, Marinette felt like she could say that she and Adrien were definitely friends.

There was no more awkwardness between the two of them, the previous tension was gone. 

Adrien made a lot of horrible puns, and Marinette laughed at most of them. By the time lunch was over, They kept looking at each other and giggling, and neither of them we're ready for school to start again. 

Before they walked into class, Nino pulled Adrien aside.

"Don't get too close, it'll break your heart."

"Nino, we're just friends."

"Yeah, but I see how you look at her. It's the same way that I look at her. That Nathaniel looks at her. You love her."

"I do." Adrien shrugged. "But she doesn't need to know that. I'd rather be her friend than make everything awkward."

"You're a good guy, Adrien."

"Huh?" His mind was still reeling over the fact that she had called him cute earlier. Adrien was barely processing any new information.

Nino shook his head. "She's an oblivious girl. She's the most amazing person I know, but she's so dense." 

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to tell you, buddy, but you don't have a chance with her-"

"She's in love with Chat Noir. She told me."

"She told you?" Nino tilted his head. "Maybe she is opening back up. Again. After we lost _her,_ both of us struggled for a while."

"Who is she?" Adrien frowned. "Marinette and you keep mentioning her, but I don't know her name it what happened to her."

"What happened," Nino's eyes started tearing up, "was a tragedy and I'd rather not talk about it."

"Got it." 

"So, you guys played games? How was it?"

"Marinette won."

"Not surprising. She's the best."

"Yeah." Adrien sighed. "She really wasn't lying when she said that. How was your lunch?"

"I just are some pastries from the bakery and talked with Sabine and Tom."

"You're really close with her parents, aren't you."

"I mean, I guess I am." Nino gave him a weird look. "I-"

"Shit. I'm sorry." Adrien shook his head. "I lost my mom. I know how much it sucks."

"You did?"

"Yeah. The day before the first Akuma attack, she got in a fight with my dad and went to stay at her friend's house. The next morning, she never came back."

"Adrien, that's-"

"For years, I was holding out hope that she would come back, that she was mad at my dad and left, but I found her. The Akuma left her in a coma and she's on life support."

"Adrien, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. Unless you're Hawkmoth, in which case, please stop your evildoing." Adrien chuckled. 

"I'm not, in case you were wondering."

"That's a relief. I wouldn't want my new best friend to be my archenemy."

Nino shot him another weird look. "What?"

Adrien thought over the words he had said. "I just really hate Hawkmoth."

"oh, join the club." Nino relaxed. "I thought you were accidentally revealing that you were actually Chat Noir."

Adrien laughed awkwardly. "If I was Chat Noir I'm pretty sure my father would ground me for life."

"Yeah, and it'd be pretty awkward between you and Marinette if you were-"

"You could've come upstairs with us." Adrien changed the subject. "During lunch. You could've played Mario Kart."

"I don't think I could've." Nino shook his head. "I needed to cool down from yesterday." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I kinda snapped at Mari."

"Yeah... but she also ran towards an Akuma. Which is insane."

"Right? What was she thinking?"

"I have no idea! I was so worried about her."

"Adrien." Nino nodded. "You've passed the vibe check."

"I don't know what that means."

"I think you and I and Marinette are going to be great friends."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes, I know that the wii controllers/ wii remotes aren't actually called wiimotes but that is a word that I will use and you cannot fight me on that.


	8. Dark cupid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very much ignoring Canon timeline

School was pretty much the usual. Ms. Bustier had given a lecture about fairytales and love, and Marinette spent the whole time daydreaming about Chat Noir. 

_"Love conquers hate."_

Maybe, if she had enough love. She could find Hawkmoth and punch him in the face. That would be satisfying.

Adrien had asked Marinette if she wanted to have a picnic in the park at lunch. She agreed and Nino and Kagami joined the group as well. 

Before they left, Marinette had to grab her sandwich from her locker and ran into Kim and Max. 

"Do you think she'll like it?" Kim was saying.

Max frowned. "Statistically speaking, the probability is almost certainly-"

Marinette got a glimpse of what Kim was holding and gasped. "Kim, that's beautiful."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I think any girl would love it."

"But-" Max started to say.

"Shh." Kim cut him off. "You think I have a chance, Marinette?"

"For sure." She smiled. "You never know till you try, right?"

"Right."

"Kim, it's a beautiful necklace and you're a nice boy. Don't be nervous."

"It's Valentine's day, of course I'm nervous." His hands were shaking.

"Paris is the city of love, you know? Believe in yourself and everything will work out."

Kim smiled. "Yeah. It'll all work out."

"That's the spirit." She gave him a fist bump. "I've got to go have a picnic with Adrien, but good luck."

"Thanks Mari." After she left, he turned to Max. "Is she dating Adrien?"

"Knowing Marinette, it's most likely that they're just friends. She tends to be oblivious to people's advances."

"Huh." Kim shrugged. "For someone who has never gone on a date, she's really good at giving pep talks. She'd make a great hero."

...

Marinette was horrible at giving pep talks. Not long after she arrived in the park, her phone chimed with a message. 

From Chloé, which was never a good sign.

"Oh no." Nino gasped. 

"I didn't know Kim liked her." Kagami sighed.

"When did she become so rude." Adrien shook his head.

Marinette opened the message. "This is all my fault. I have to find Kim and apologize."

"It's not your fault-"

"Yes it is. I told him to go for it."

"Why?"

"I didn't realize that he was going for Chloé." She spat out the name.

"Hey! Chloé isn't all bad."

"She's sure acting like a jerk now, though."

Marinette stood up. "I'm sorry guys, I hope you have a good picnic, but I need to go."

"You are not running towards another Akuma attack just for a chance to talk to Chat Noir." Nino growled. 

"That's not what this is about." She started running. "I have to apologize to Kim." 

Kagami looked between the two boys. "Which one of you is going to run after her?"

"I- uh."

"Its fine." Adrien nodded. "You guys stay safe, I'll get Marinette."

"I can't lose you too Adrien." Nino whispered. 

"You won't." He gestured to the picnic. "Kagami, Nino, eat what you guys want, I'll bring Marinette back soon." 

He took off at a full sprint, desperate to get Marinette back to safety before it was too late.

When he found her, she was dodging attacks from the Akuma.

"Why is it that you always seem to be getting in trouble?"

"Kitty, it sure took you a while." She turned. "Oh... Adrien, you sounded like Chat Noir for a second."

"Sorry to disappoint." He ducked from another shot. "Nino made me promise to get you somewhere safe."

"Yeah, not gonna happen, I have to keep Kim at bay until Chat arrives." She did a cartwheel to avoid getting hit. 

"Marinette. You need to get somewhere safe."

"But I know how to defeat him. The Akuma is in his heart pin. I just have to stay here and dodge these things until Chat gets here."

"Why are you so reckless?"

"This one is my fault. I am responsible. I have to stop it." She ducked again. "Where is that cat?"

"I'm sure he's on his way, but I promised Nino that I would protect you."

"I don't need protecting, I can't handle myself."

"I'm sure you do. But Marinette, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm doing just fine." She tripped and fell down. "Uh oh."

"Marinette-" Adrien leapt in front of her. "I lo-" suddenly his smile turned upside down and he started glaring.

He had gotten hit.

"Adrien are you okay?"

"I loathe you." He laughed. "I'm better than ever. Dark Cupid made me realize how much hate I have. Ahahahahah."

Marinette started walking backwards. "Adrien. This isn't you."

"Oh, but it is." He smirked, stepping closer to her.

"Snap out of it."

"It's not that easy, Princess." He pushed her to the ground. 

She brought him down with her. "There must be some way to turn it off. You're a minion, not destroyed."

He had her pinned to the ground. "Hawkmoth wants you."

"Well. That's not creepy at all." She rolled her eyes. "Tell him that I'll kill him."

"He's laughing at the idea."

"Bold of him to assume that I don't already know where to find him."

"You're going down. I hate you. Hate conquers all."

"You're wrong." She smiled. "Love conquers all."

"I don't know where you heard that, it's stupid."

"Love conquers hate." She repeated. "I have to kiss you."

"Eww gross." He jumped back like a cat touching water. "Don't kiss me."

"Its the only way to fix you." She started chasing him. "And without Chat here, I'm going to need your help to defeat the Akuma."

"Eww."

Pretty soon, she had him pinned up against a wall. "Tell Hawkmoth that I will find him and personally destroy him."

"You're just a little girl, you can't mmmph-" he was cut off as Marinette kissed him. 

Her lips met his for a brief moment, and then she pulled away. She looked at his lips, returning to their regular color. "Did it work? Oh god I hope that worked."

Adrien blinked. "Did what work?"

"Do you still want to kill me?"

"What no? Marinette you're my friend and I want you to be safe." He shook his head. "What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter. I saved you." She grabbed his hand. "C'mon, we've gotta find Chat."

"Why were you pinning me against a wall?"

"So that you would stop attacking me."

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just kiss me?"

Marinette blushed. "I was saving you, and it worked."

"Can we talk about it?"

"Love conquers hate, and I kissed you so that you could help me take down Kim."

"True love conquers hate. Do you love me?" He smiled at her.

"What? No." She shook her head. "Its because I care about you and don't want you to get hurt. That's all. Right?" 

"Huh." 

She grabbed his hand. "C'mon pretty boy, we have an Akuma to take down."

"I'd really rather-"

"Too bad, you came into this mess with me, you're helping me out." She smirked. "Unless you're scared."

"You terrify me more than anything else."

She laughed. "C'mon."

Five minutes later, Adrien was holding the Akuma in a sandwich bag and Marinette walked apologizing to Kim.

He wanted to sneak off to transform and destroy it, but that seemed too obvious and Marinette was crazy enough, she didn't need to know his identity. 

"You did good, Adrien, I didn't know you had it in you."

"I uh, I do fencing," he shrugged.

"Well, you were awesome. It reminded me of Chat Noir."

"Yeah. Speaking of which. What do I do with this?"

"I'll give it to Chat." She out the Akuma bag in her backpack. 

"Are you sure? That doesn't seem very safe."

"Ehh." She shrugged. "Nothing I do is very safe. He knows where I live and that I've got his back. I mean, I'm basically his sidekick at this point."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If I don't see him before the end of the day, he will probably stop by my house tonight."

Adrien took a mental note to find Marinette as Chat Noir as soon as he could. "Well, that was exciting-"

"Yeah, but we should get back to your picnic. It was such a cute idea. I'm sorry I ruined it with that akuma."

"What? You didn't ruin it."

"I didn't?"

"No. I just wanted to spend time with you, Marinette, and I got to do that. In an unconventional way."

"You tried to kill me."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, but other than that, I had fun."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I'd run into any Akuma battle for you, Marinette."

She froze. "Don't say that, Adrien."

"What? Its true."

"No." She shook her head. "But that's exactly what I've been doing, isn't it."

"You're just trying to help."

"Nino was right. I'm being reckless." She frowned. "I almost got both of us killed. That's not okay."

"It wasn't your fault."

"It was. I need to be responsible. And we need to talk."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you free tomorrow? After school?"

"I think so."

"Good." She sighed. "I think its finally time that Nino and I tell you about Alya."

"Alya?" He repeated.

Marinette gave him a tearful smile. _"She_ was my best friend."

"Was?"

"It's a long story."


	9. Here's the marichat balcony scene I've been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I forgot that I was going to write this marichat scene.

By the time Adrien was able to get away and transform into Chat Noir, night had fallen across Paris. 

He leapt across rooftops to Marinette's balcony, where she was waiting for him. 

Or maybe she just sat outside on the balcony with a ridiculously large amount of croissants and an Akuma in a plastic bag every day.

It was possible. She did run towards danger, after all.

Probably not. That was crazy, even for Marinette.

He landed on the balcony and cleared his throat. "Hello."

She jumped up. "Hi. Chat, I've been expecting you..but not like is a creepy way or anything, I just have something for you. But like not a gift, its-"

He chuckled. She was cute when she was nervous. "I know. I'm here to retrieve the Akuma."

"Here." She threw the bag at him. "It been giving off bad vibes all day."

"I am happy to dispose of it, princess."

"Youre a real hero Chat."

"I know I am." He winked.

"Oh, also, you said you liked croissants, so I made some. Sorry, they're probably cold now, but still good."

"These are for me?"

"Yep."

He gestured to the plate that had at least a couple dozen croissants. "All of these?"

"Yeah. I mean, I might've eaten a couple, but these are all for you. If you want them."

"If I want-"

"But you don't have to." She gasped. "Oh no, are you allergic? I completely forgot to ask. I'd feel horrible if you were gluten intolerant, that would be-"

"Its okay Marinette."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The only thing I'm allergic to is feathers."

She filed that away for future information. "You don't have to take all of them, it's a little excessive."

"Marinette." He smiled. "I love it. Thank you."

She blushed. "You're welcome." 

"Now, can we talk about today?"

"Yeah." She crossed her arms. "Where were you?"

"Me? I was busy. Am I not allowed to have a life outside of-"

"You have a responsibility. You were supposed to be there." Marinette's eyes started watering. "One if my best friends tried to kill me. I thought you had my back."

"He- I'm so sorry Marinette. I had no idea." 

"Where were you?"

He had to be as vague as possible. "I was with one of my friends and I got hit. I wasn't myself."

"That happened to Adrien."

"Your friend?"

"Yeah. He was all protective and kind one minute and the next, he g it hit and was the complete opposite. He hated me."

"That sounds horrible. I don't know how anyone could hate you."

"I've been told that I'm crazy."

"In a good way."

"It was really weird." She frowned. "Chat, can I talk to you, as a friend?"

"Sure? About what?"

"Well, there's this boy I like, right?"

"Right?" 

"And for the longest time, I thought he was the one. He's literally perfect for me in every way. Kind, fearless, supportive, hot."

"Are you talking about me?" He smirked. 

She glared. "I could shove you off the balcony."

"Cats always land on their feet." He started eating a fourth croissant.

"Wanna test that theory out?"

"Not especially."

"Okay, let me talk."

"Go ahead."

"So recently. There's been this other boy."

"Ooh competition."

"He's my friend. In a short period of time, we've become really good friends. But that's all we are. Friends."

"But you want him to be more?"

"No. I'm just confused."

"About what?"

"They say that love conquers hate, right?"

"Yeah."

"And true loves kiss is the most powerful magic of all?"

"This isn't a fairytale."

"Maybe not. But I kissed him and it reversed the curse."

"It did?" He blinked. "And you're sure it was the kiss, not something else?"

"I'm sure." She shook her head. "But I didn't think he was my true love."

"Then why did you kiss him?"

"Isn't that the question Chat? I don't know. I panicked. I didn't have any other choice. It was that or wait for you to never show up."

"Ouch. Like I said, I was preoccupied."

"Yeah." 

"Sorry."

"Man, why are emotions so complicated." She angrily tore a croissant in half. "Why can't I just like one boy."

"Because you're human. Humans are messy and complicated. Nothing is ever as simple as in fairytales."

"Do I love him or not?"

"I think you do." 

"You do?"

"Yes." It was the truth, but Adrien may have been a but biased as they were talking about himself.

"But I don't think I do."

"Love isn't always romantic." He realized. "You care about your friend, right? And you want the best for them?"

"Yeah. He's great, but I'm not in love-"

"Maybe not, but you love him. Platonically."

"Does that count as true love?"

"It does in my book." He blinked. Maybe him and Marinette weren't meant to be.

"Maybe you're right, Chat Noir. I've been over thinking this."

"I'm always glad to help."

"Adrien and I are just friends."

"Yep." 

"Besides, he'd never like me like that." 

Chat Noir had never wanted to facepalm more. "Oh you have no idea."

"What?"

"I've got to go." He shook the plastic bag with the Akuma. "I better destroy this before it learns how to phase through solid objects."

"You do that." She smiled. "And just know, you're always welcome back."

"See you soon."

"Hopefully not too soon." She blinked. "Because I usually only see you when there's an akuma. I'd like to see you, I just worded that badly I oh-"

He kissed her cheek. "I know what you meant. See you soon Mari."

"See you soon."

Once he was out of earshot, he smiled. "It'll be sooner than you know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the author is a dumb bitch who forgot that she purposefully have Marinette the Akuma to write this scene and instead was so focused on the Alya subplot that she wrote that chapter before this one so I will be posting the 10'th chapter momentarily, and then this will be my longest fic.   
> (Except for the first one I wrote on fan fiction dot net thats 24 thousand word's and we don't talk about because it was my first fic and honestly sucked)   
> Next chapter will be posted asap.  
> Unless I fall asleep which I might bc it's 10:00 rn and I'm trying to stay on a healthy sleep schedule.


	10. What happened to Alya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gonna be sad. Warning in advance. I'll summarize in the end notes.

The squad was once again sitting in Marinette's room with croissants, but the gathering had a more somber mood than usual.

"So.." Adrien looked around. "Alya?"

"Do you want to start?" Marinette nudged Nino.

"You probably should. You knew her longer."

"By like a day."

"If I start talking I'm gonna cry."

"Okay." Marinette turned back to Adrien. "Alya. Where do I even begin with Alya. She was one of the most confident people I've ever met. She was loud, she was bold."

"Unafraid to speak her mind." Nino added.

"She used to run the ChatBlog. I don't know if you're familiar, but it was the top news site on Chat Noir and Akuma for like the first year of all that chaos."

"Alya. Cesairé." Adrien's eyes widened. "Yeah." He had seen her statue more than once when patrolling the Akuma District. "I wondered what happened to that blog."

"Alya used to do the darndest things." Nino rubbed his eyes. 

"She'd push people out of their comfort zone, in a good way."

"And she was always in a rush to get the news. She was willing to risk herself to get news to others."

"That's why she always would run into Akuma attacks."

"Like you." Adrien looked at Marinette.

"That's only a recent thing."

"Alya would try to get a video of every Akuma attack." 

"From the beginning, she believed that there was a way to cure all of the damage." 

"She did a lot of research, online, books."

"Went to the museum. I don't know if you saw anything about the Mummy Akuma, but it tried to sacrifice her."

"Yeah. I remember seeing that all over the news."

"She would go into risky situations, but always come out fine."

"She had found evidence of a missing miraculous."

Adrien looked at his ring. "You mean, Chat Noir isn't alone?"

"No. Maybe? I don't have her research, but she thought that there were earrings of creation that had been lost to time."

"Earrings?"

"She believed that if they were found, these earrings could fix all of the damage done to the city."

"Fix all of the damage? That's impossible." Adrien looked between them. "Right?"

"That's what I thought, but Alya wasn't so sure."

"She spent all of her free time devoted to getting more information."

"It became obsessive. She ran into every fight, to try and interview Chat Noir."

"She needed information. She wanted to know why he wasn't doing anything to fix the damage." 

"According to her research, there are dozens of miraculi, each with their own powers. Chat Noir shouldn't be alone."

"Alone." Adrien repeated. 

"That day, she wanted to give all of her research to Chat." 

"We begged her to wait. It was a dangerous Akuma, really risky."

"She didn't. She took off running."

"And we followed her."

"She tried to get Chat's attention, but she got the Akuma's attention instead."

"He fired a shot, and-"

"She pushed us down-"

"Told us to 'stay safe,'" 

"And then she turned to stone."

"What happened to her research?" Adrien wanted to know.

"She had it all with her. Now it's unreadable."

"Have you guys tried to find the missing miraculous?"

"We've looked but it's too risky." 

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"So, why are you telling me? Why not Kagami? Why not Chat Noir?"

"There's not enough information to give Chat Noir yet."

"We've told you basically everything we know. There have been previous Chat Noirs, and they always had a partner. This one doesn't."

"Chat Noir probably already knows more about the situation than we do."

He didn't. Adrien shook his head. "But what if he had no idea that he was supposed to have a partner. He's been all alone for these years, do you think he would keep doing it solo if he could have a partner?"

"It's not that easy."

"It isn't?"

"We believe that the Ladybug miraculous went missing."

"So let's find it."

"It's not that easy, Adrien. It's magic. It will only be found by the right person. Like the cat miraculous. He was Chosen because he's a hero. He wants the best for everyone."

"I think it has to be someone pure of heart, without selfish intentions."

"Hawkmoth Will hopefully never find it."

"We," Nino gestured at himself and Marinette, "aren't the right people."

Adrien disagreed. He thought Marinette would be the perfect partner. "And you think I am? Guys, I'm not that perfect."

Nino and Marinette shared a look. "Maybe not."

"We think Chat is."

Adrien crossed his arms. "So why bother telling me?"

"We spend a lot of time doing this. Rebuilding Alya's research."

"And you'd be a good addition to the team. If we figure this out, find the miraculous, we could end Hawkmoth's reign of terror."

"We could get back everything that we've lost."

"Also, Nino whispered, "Marinette hasn't smiled like that in years. When you're, around, you're like sunshine."

"Sunshine? Because I'm blonde?"

"No. Your smile can light up a room. You're an inspiration. You're always so positive and-"

Adrien gave Marinette a weird look. Clearly she and Nino hadn't discussed the whole 'he went evil and tried to kill her thing.' She shook her head, telling him to keep quiet. "Okay..."

"Okay?"

"Okay," Adrien repeated. "How can I help?"

"What?"

"I'm in. Lets find the Ladybug miraculous." Adrien smiled. "How can I help?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Alya was hit by an Akuma and never recovered. Marinette and Nino are affected by it. They tell Adrien who she was and what happened.  
> Alya had found historical evidence of a ladybug miraculous that could fix all of the damage, but before she could tell Chat Noir about it, she was hit.
> 
> Guys this is officially my longest work on ao3. That's crazy. And I have so much more I'm planning on writing whoa.   
> Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading,


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yeah this chapter is mostly filler, but there is some good stuff in here.

"So, what do we know so far?" 

Marinette shrugged. "So, far, we know that the miraculous is a pair of earrings. Red with black spots. They might look different when untransformed."

"And they went missing over 100 years ago."

"Got it." Adrien nodded. "So we're just looking for really old earrings."

"I mean, I guess you could say that." Nino scratched his head.

"Basically. But these ones are magic."

"How do we know when we find them?" 

"Actually... that's a good question. How will we know, Marinette?"

"We will have to ask Chat Noir about the miraculous that he has. There has to be something different between it and other jewelry, right?"

"Right..."

"Yeah." Adrien nodded.

"Like, it gets really hot when there's danger. Or maybe it has a lights or something."

"Or a tiny God inside who eats cheese and complains."

Nino chuckled. "You're a funny guy Adrien."

"Where did that idea come from?"

He shrugged. "Just a random thought I had. What if it's like a genie in a bottle-type scenario?"

"That would make it easier to identify the earrings once we find them."

"If we find them."

"Right..."

"There's also supposed to be a book about miraculous, but it went missing too."

"So that's a bust."

"Man, I wish it was easy to find missing miraculi."

"Don't we all."

....

After that conversation, which Adrien found intriguing and disheartening, (if the Ladybug Miraculous hadn't been found yet, would it ever?) Adrien had a photo shoot, after which he went home.

His father ate dinner with him, for once, and started a conversation. 

"So, son, how was school?"

"Me?"

"Yes you. Who else would I be talking to?"

 _Anyone other than me_. Adrien thought but didn't say. "School's been really good."

"All that you ever hoped and dreamed?"

"Yeah. I've made new friends, and I'm keeping up with all of my studies."

"Tell me about these friends."

"Nino's pretty cool. He wants to be a DJ-"

His father laughed. "A DJ?"

"Yeah. Why not? And Marinette, she's the daughter of bakers and-"

"Your friends are a baker's daughter and an aspiring DJ?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"They're below you."

Adrien had to bite his tongue. "I'm also friends with Chloé Bourgeoisie and Kagami Tsurugi."

"Good." Gabriel nodded. 

"I was wondering if I could go to Marinette's house after school tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"To work on a history project. For school." He lied. "She's my partner."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Marinette lately, haven't you?"

"Maybe?" Adrien shrugged. "She's my friend."

"And yet you're blushing when you talk about her?"

"No I'm not." Adrien blushed harder. "We have a history project-"

"You like her."

"What- pshhh no." Adrien waved it off.

"Yeah, I can see it in your eyes." Gabriel's gaze softened. "It reminds me of when I met your mother. I used to get so red."

"You did?"

"Of course. Have you seen how pale we are? We Agrestes blush like hell."

"Maybe so."

"I want to meet this Marinette."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Adrien frowned. 

"Why not?"

"You said she was below me." 

"Technicalities. You like her. Clearly she must be better than I thought."

"She's incredible."

"Great. Invite her over to our home."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"But you never let me bring friends over. Chloe has never visited for more than a couple hours."

"You two can have time to work on the project and then we all can have dinner together."

"I really don't think-"

"Nonesense. If she's caught your eye I would love to meet her. Adrien, you've never fallen in love before. This is exciting."

 _You've never been a supportive parent before. This is weird._ Adrien thought. "I'll ask her. Thank you father."

"Of course."

After Adrien went to his room, Gabriel smiled. If Adrien was happy, then maybe it was time to retire as Hawkmoth.

The damage he had already done was irreversible. The Ladybug miraculous wasn't showing up any time soon, and without it, he couldn't make a wish. 

All he ever wanted was to make his family complete again, but by doing so, had ignored his own son. Neglected him, even. He became like his own father. Distant and cold.

Maybe it was time for a change.

Then he felt strong emotions and decided to go up to his lair.

Some people never change.


	12. Did someone ask for a kwami swap? No, but you're getting it anyways.

After finding a very interesting book behind the painting of his mother, Adrien decided to share it with the group.

...

Adrien invited Marinette over for dinner, and she accepted, but before that, he had a photo shoot he had to do.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette, this had to be rescheduled and I-"

"It's no big deal." She smiled. "You're my friend. And besides, I like fashion. It'll be fun to see a photo shoot from the inside."

"Awesome." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried you would be mad."

"Why would I be mad? It's out if your control."

"Right." He led her to a chair. "You can sit here and watch everything. There's a snack table over there."

"Awesome, should I just sit and watch?"

"Yep. I have to go change and do hair and makeup, but it shouldn't take too long."

"It's okay." She insisted. "I can wait. Besides. You said you had some important information?"

"I do. But that's for later." He shrugged. "I'm gonna go change."

"Get ready, pretty boy." She chuckled. Adrien was so worried, over nothing. If anything, Marinette was excited to be able to sit in on a photo shoot. She could see all the looks before they hit the runway. It was like a dream come true.

...

And incredibly long dream. Marinette kept yawning. She tried to hide it, but she was tired. 

Every time she caught Adrien's eye, she'd smile encouragingly, and he'd smile even bigger for the cameras. It was cute. But it took such a long time. 

Not only was there costuming, hair, and makeup, the lighting had to be perfect. The photographer cared about every single detail. If Adrien so much as breathed wrong, the photo had to be retaken. 

Marinette thought that they all looked like good photos, but she wasn't a professional. She secretly took out her phone and snapped a few of her own photos when Adrien was making silly faces at her, or just species of the whole experience. 

It was really cool of him to invite her along, but man it was a lot. 

A few hours in, and he had had no break. Marinette got up to get some snacks from the table. It was a nice set-up. There was fruit and crackers, pastries and vegetables. There was a strange lack of cheese present, but Marinette was going to be eating dinner at Adrien's she just needed a snack. 

She grabbed some grapes and was going to sit back down when the sky went dark. Unnaturally so. 

One instant it was daylight, the next, pitch black. She couldn't even see the stars.

The photoshoot remained mostly unaffected, with all of the artificial lighting. 

No one else even seemed to notice the change. 

Except the ominous floating dude. That was probably the source of the Akuma.

Marinette looked around the room as one by one, the akumatized person tapped other people and made them fall asleep.

Adrien had been facing the other way, but was tapped, and slumped down to the floor, completely asleep.

"Don't get touched. Got it."

It didn't seem to have any particular goal, it was just getting everyone. Which was less than ideal. Hopefully, once it was defeated, it's powers would stop working. 

Sometimes that was the case. Otherwise, these people would be in comas. 

Luckily, the Akuma hadn't spotted her yet.

Marinette ducked under the snack table to hide and had to stifle a scream as she stared into bright green eyes.

"What is that?!"

"Excuse you." The thing scoffed. "You should fear me."

"A bug- cat- mouse-"

"I'm actually a kwami."

"A what?"

"Long story short, I give Chat Noir his powers."

"You're like a genie in a bottle." 

"Why dies everyone keep assuming that?"

She smiled. "I guess Adrien was right." 

"Usually I don't do this, but Chat needs your help."

"He does?" Marinette raised an eyebrow. "He'd never admit that."

"He's out of commission."

"Why am I supposed to believe you?"

"I could destroy you with a single touch." His paw started crackling with energy. "I am Plagg. God of destruction and Consumer of Cheese-"

"Okay, you ate the cheese, got it." 

He threw something shiny at her. "I need you to take the ring."

"What?"

"We don't have a lot of time. I said, I need you to take-"

"No I heard you." She shook her head. "But why me? I'm just a girl, there's nothing special-"

"I'd agree with you, except I've seen you run into a battle without magical armor. Everything Chat sees, I see. And you, are not nothing. You're definitely something."

"Thanks."

"This is no time to boost your ego."

"Sorry."

"No time for apologies. You're the best shot that Paris has. Take the ring. Say 'Plagg Claws Out' to transform. You have the cataclysm once and after you use it you will transform back in five minutes. Got it?"

"I think so." She slid the ring on her finger. 

"Any questions?"

"Well-"

"No time. Just go. You've got good instinct, I believe in you."

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Marinette whispered, and the weird cat-demon-bug was sucked into the ring.

She felt a weird rush, as she was filled with magic. A green light surrounded her and she transformed.

A magical leather outfit formed on her body's, complete with a tail and baton. Her hair was put up like two cat ears, and, she couldn't see it, but her eyes turned green.

The biggest change was inside. Marinette felt a rush of energy, a boost to her strength. She felt like she had been given a shot of adrenaline. Increased heart rate, faster reaction times. 

It was a rush. 

She crawled out from under the table and went to look for the Akuma. 

...

Somehow, by some miraculous stroke of luck, Marinette took the Akuma down with no causualties. As soon as she destroyed the butterfly, the people who had been asleep started to sit up and look around, confused. 

Apparently, the person who had been akumatized was an intern who fell asleep during the shoot and got fired. Marinette did her best to comfort him before the five minutes were up, but she had to find a good place to hide. 

Some instinct lead her into one of the changing rooms. She managed to close the door before she became Marinette again.

She looked at Plagg. "That was awesome!"

"You didn't do too bad, bakery girl." 

"How do I get you back to Chat?"

"Don't worry about it. I can find my own way. And I can't expose his identity."

"You're right. It was really good to meet you Plague."

"Clearly you don't know me very well."

"Hopefully I don't see you again." She frowned. "Because, I don't want Chat to get in any trouble, not because-"

"I know what you meant. I'll miss you, kitten." 

Their heartwarming goodbye was quickly interrupted when a shirtless Adrien walked into the room.

Marinette screamed. "Sorry, you scared me."

"No. I was looking all over for you, Marinette, what happened?"

"There was an Akuma, and I hid in here." She shrugged. "Not much else to say."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright." 

She gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're alright too. It was really scary when you got hit."

"For me, it was just like taking a nap."

"Luckily, Chat Noir was able to save the day."

Adrien frowned. "He was?"

"Well... not exactly."

"Not exactly?" Adrien tried not to laugh, as Plagg made a throat-cutting gesture behind Marinette. 

"You can keep a secret, right?"

"Yeah."

Plagg had the audacity to look disappointed in Adrien for continuing the conversation.

"He wasn't there. You were right Adrien."

"I was? About what?"

"His ring. It had a magical guide. It was a floating Cat, named Plague."

"Plague?" Adrien repeated, looking confused, but making amused eye contact with the cat floating behind Marinette.

Plagg was face-palming as Marinette spoke.

"Like a genie in a bottle, but more aggressive and fueled by cheese."

"Cheese?" He repeated.

"Yeah, it had eaten all of the cheese off of the snack table."

"It did?" Adrien glared at Plagg. "Interesting."

"It was crazy. I transformed. I was Chat Noir for the battle. I felt like me, but stronger, faster, better-"

"You saved the day again?"

"I guess." She shrugged. "Plague said that Chat got hit, and that I was the best person he could find." 

"Makes sense." Adrien smiled. "No one is as amazing as you Marinette." 

"Thanks." She blushed. "No one compares to the real Chat Noir... but you're pretty amazing yourself, Adrien."

 _You have no idea. "_ Well, after all that chaos, the photoshoot was cut short. I'm ready to go if you are."

Marinette checked her pockets. "Yeah. I've got my phone. I'm ready, but I don't know if you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Adrien?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, what?"

"Do you usually go home without a shirt?"

His face turned red and he shoved her out of the dressing room. "Give me a minute, then we can go."

"No problem," she chuckled. 

He was funny when he got flustered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a plan for the rest of this story now, so it definitely will be completed, we're looking at 15-17 chapters, maybe a little more, and then it'll be done.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this actual plot? I didn't know I was capable of that.

After the Photo shoot, Marinette and Adrien were finally able to go to his house. When they arrived, his father was locked in his office, as per the usual. 

After checking in with Nathalie, Adrien and Marinette went up to his room. Adrien blushed at how scandalous that sounded, but it was stupid. They were friends. She had kissed him once to save him from an Akuma, but she didn't like him like that. 

"Welcome," Adrien pushed open his door, "to my room."

"Whoa." Marinette looked around the room, from floor to ceiling, noticing everything. "This is all yours?"

"Yeah." 

"What's your favorite part?"

Adrien shrugged. "Probably the rock wall. It's a lot of fun and good exercize. But I'd prefer your room."

"My room? It's small-"

"And warm. And the balcony is a nice open space. It always smells of cookies."

"Yeah, I guess." She nodded. "Have you read all of these books?"

"Yeah. I used to spend all of my time in here."

"Homeschooled, right." 

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I used to want so many things when I was little. I begged for that foosball table forever."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But when I got it, there was no one to play with me." He frowned. "I thought I wanted stuff, but I really just wanted a friend."

"Well, now you've got me." She smiled. "And, not to brag, but I'm pretty good at foosball."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

She shook her head. "Oh- you said you had new info?"

"Yeah." Adrien tilted his head. "You said that there was supposed to be a guidebook, right?"

"Yeah. According to legend."

"Well." Adrien reached under his bed and pulled out a box of anime, "here you go."

"Uhh. Adrien. That's Pokemon."

"Ahhh." He blushed and shoved it back under his bed, pulling out the actual book. "Can we forget about that?"

"That you're a dork? Never." She chuckled. "I used to love Pokemon."

"Yeah? Well. If I were Ash, I'd choose you." He winked. 

"I'd choose you too. You're a great friend. And teammate. Remember when we took down that-"

He dug around under his bed until he found what they had been looking for. "The book." He handed it to her. It was a big book, but had barely any weight to it at all. The cover was fancy and golden and completely illegible. 

"Where did you find this." She picked it up, looking at the binding. "This is ancient." She cracked it open and sneezed. "Seriously ancient." It had the musty, dusty smell of the old, post WWII recipe book one would find in their grandma's basement. 

Adrien shrugged, not really knowing where the book came from. "My father had it." 

"Do you think- your father could have the missing miraculous?"

"Him? Pshh no." Adrien rolled his eyes. "He's the most boring person I know. There's no way he knows that it's magic."

"But it's weird that he has this book, right?"

"Nah." Adrien shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he's been using it for inspiration. The heroes' costumes in there are pretty cool."

"Right." She started flipping through it, touching pictures. "There. That one is like Chat Noir. Oh I see what you mean about the costumes. I could totAlly design a line based off of these."

"That one looks like a Fox. A turtle. A Ladybug."

She paused on one particular page. "Is that a bee?"

"I don't bee-lieve it." He joked. 

She laughed, a beautiful, musical sound. "That was such a stupid pun Adrien."

"I know, but it made you laugh."

"Yeah." She shook her head. "I wonder what happened to the rest of them?"

"I don't know."

She squinted. "This writing, do you know what it is?"

"No. Some of the characters are the same as traditional Chinese script-"

"But they don't make any sense."

"You know Chinese?"

"A little. My mom grew up in Beijing. I can hold a conversation." Marinette looked at him. "You know it?"

"Yeah. I wanted to learn another language, and I'm already fluent in French, English, and Spanish." Adrien wasn't trying to brag, he just stated the truth. "I tried to learn Portuguese, but it's similar to Spanish and I kept getting confused."

"Whoa. That's impressive." 

They spent the next few hours translating the book, to the best of their abilities.

By the end, they hadn't gained much more information. 

Mostly, they translated Chat Noir's page. They already knew a lot about his powers and such, so it was easy to find words that they knew and use context clues to translate sentences. 

It was harder to take those words and apply them to the Ladybug page.

"The Ladybug miraculous, balances out the Chat Noir one." Marinette pointed to a yin-yang symbol.

"But Chat destroys, right? What's the opposite of destruction."

"Creation? Healing? I'm not sure, I don't know what these words mean."

"But Ladybug should be able to fix the damage. Or at least heal the injured?"

"Hopefully." 

"That would be amazing."

"Ugh this is so vague." Marinette crossed her arms. "It says that the Ladybug miraculous will appear when it is needed. I'm pretty sure it's needed."

"Even weirder, it usually appears when the cat one does. That doesn't make sense."

"Chat Noir has been around for years. Do you think that Ladybug would've waited this long to show up?"

"No. I mean, I hope not."

"Me too. So, we're gonna assume that something is wrong. Maybe it's broken."

"Broken?"

"Or the signal is jammed."

"It's magic."

"Magic can be flawed." Marinette shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's broken."

"Can magic even be broken?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's stuck with a lot of old jewelry and since it was never activated, with an angry Plague stuck inside

Adrien tried not to laugh as Plagg glared at Marinette. "Do you think every miraculous has a Plague?" As he purposefully mispronounced the word, he saw Plagg's paw light up with destructive energy. 

"Or something like it. Plague said he was a god, but I don't know if I really believe that."

"So you think that something happened to the other god? The nice one?"

"Nice?" Marinette looked confused. 

_Right._ Adrien wasn't supposed to know Plagg. "Non-destructive?" 

"I don't know. Maybe something did happen. I wish we could ask Chat how he found the ring. Maybe that would give us a clue."

"It's been so long, I doubt he remembers." All Adrien remembered was that he had a crazy day. He had to leave a photoshoot and when we was walking across the street, he saved an old guy. Then he went home, got yelled at, a magic box was on his desk, and then Plagg started eating cheese and Adrien became a superhero. "And I don't know if it would be much help."

"Still, it's a place to start. I'll ask him if he ever stops by the bakery."

"Yeah-"

Before Adrien could say anything else, Nathalie interrupted them. 

"It is time for dinner, you two can finish your project later."

...

Adrien and Marinette arrived at the dinner table before Gabriel did. 

"This is such a big table."

"I know, I don't even have a big family."

"And so many forks. Why do you need more than one?"

"One's a salad fork, one's for meat. This one is for desert. And the spoons are-"

Gabriel entered the room and Adrien went silent.

"Hello Father."

"Hello son. It's good to see you. How was your day?"

"Good. School went well, and the photoshoot was fine, other than the Akuma." 

Marinette saw Gabriel flinch at the mention of akuma and recorded it for future reference. 

"And then, Marinette and I came home and got a really good start on our history project."

"That sounds productive. Good job." Gabriel turned to Marinette. "And you must be Miss Dupain-Cheng. Adrien talks a lot about you."

"Marinette. He talks about me?"

"Shut up." Adrien blushed.

"All good things, I assure you. He said that you're interested in fashion?"

"Yeah. I design most of my own clothes and I have my own website."

"That's a good way to start. I always say, people should never give up on their dreams."

Adrien resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that _You never supported my dreams, Dad,_ sounded a little childish.

"Yeah. I've been applying to lots of universities for Fashion design."

"Really? Ill have to put in a good word with them."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. You're a friend of my son's. Assuming, of course that your work is quality."

"Marinette's stuff is amazing." 

"Thanks Adrien. I didn't realize that this was going to be a discussion about fashion, but yeah, I think that my stuff is pretty good."

"Pretty good means the same thing as amateur."

"My sketchbook is at home, but if you need proof, I can show you my jacket. I sewed it myself, all of the pockets and everything."

"I would like to see it. Bring it here."

Marinette stood up and handed him her jacket. "See, I handstiched all of this."

"That is quite impressive. I will definitely be remembering your name for when there are internships available in a few years." He handed the jacket back, looked back up at her and froze. 

"Thank you." She smiled.

He didn't respond. 

"Father, are you okay?"

"Mr. Agreste? Did I do something to offend you?"

"No. Nothing at all." He coughed. "I'm not feeling very well."

"Should I go home?"

"No. You and Adrien can eat dinner together. I think I'm going to go lie down." Gabriel stood up and promptly exited the room. Nathalie quickly followed after him.

"Well," Marinette shrugged, "that was weird."

"Yeah. He doesn't get sick."

"At least he didn't hate me? Right?"

"Yeah. He seemed impressed. That's almost impossible."

"Whoa. Still, he looked super sick. I thought he was going to pass out."

"Yeah. It's been really nice to spend time with you, Marinette."

"It was nice to spend time with you too." She looked down. "I still don't know what all of these spoons are for."

"Its okay, I can tell you."

...

After dinner, it was time for Marinette to go home. "I had a really good time Adrien, thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for everything Marinette."

"You're the one who helped me. With the project?"

"Right." He gave her a hug. "See you soon."

"See you." 

She walked to her doorstep and he smiled.

She would be seeing him a lot sooner than she knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I setting up for the next couple of chapters? You know it


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for everyone who went: "Why did daddy agreste run away?" After the last chapter

Gabriel quickly retired to his study, followed by Nathalie.

"Sir are you alright?"

He sat down in his chair, looking pale. "No. I don't think I am."

"What's wrong?"

"I fear that Chat Noir has discovered my identity."

"Why would you think that?"

"He sent that girl to spy on me."

"Marinette? She's just a child. In Adrien's class."

"No. She's the one I saw."

"She's the one? I could've sworn that Chat was a blonde boy-"

"No, she's his new sidekick. The one who keeps showing up and ruining my plans." Gabriel grumbled.

"She's rather short to be a hero."

"That makes her so much scarier. Chat Noir and her are conspiring against me."

"You don't think Adrien knows, does he?"

"If he does, she's manipulating him. He already loves her, he would follow her to the ends of the earth."

"Like you would for the one you love."

"I think it's time I end this endeavor. For real."

"But sir. We've been working so hard, for so long. If you don't succeed, then none of this damage is worth it."

"I can't lose Adrien too."

"Sir?"

"If Adrien and that girl are friends, and Chat Noir and that girl are friends, then Adrien could be friends with Chat Noir. He could be Nino or Chloé or one of the other people he's mentioned."

Nathalie let out a snort. "Sir, if you think that Chloé is Chat Noir, it might be time to seek medical attention."

"That's the point. It could be anyone."

"I doubt-"

"It could be Adrien."

"It isn't."

"But it could be. Face it, Chat Noir is around Adrien's age. He has parents, friends, a life. I can't ruin that for him."

"Why would you have to-"

"Equivalent exchange. A life for a life. I can't bring Emilie back unless-"

"Someone else dies." Nathalie nodded. "I'll do it. You can sacrifice me."

"We aren't at that part yet. And I could never ask that of you. Or anyone. That's why I must give up now. I will surrender my miraculous to Marinette and give my wife a proper burial."

"Are you really going to give up now? When you're so close?"

"Yes. The more I do, the more I'm willing to do. I have my morals. I'd like to keep it that way."

"Morals? You're a terrorist."

"Supervillian."

"That's not what the Parisian police are labeling you as-"

"Technicalities."

"Still..."

"Its not my fault that the magical hero never bothered to show up. I'm not responsible for saving the day. I don't have that power. Its time to stop, while I'm ahead."

"Gabriel, listen to me. The last few battles, Chat Noir has barely come out ahead. If you could separate him from the baker girl, you-"

"I could succeed." Gabriel shook his head. "No. Its too risky. I love her, but I want to be a good man."

"The moment you used magic for your own self interest, you stopped being good. Why not use it till you lose it?"

"One week. No more. After that, I will retire this for good."

"Then you better start planning the best Akuma yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write this chapter and the next one as one, but I got too tired while writing this, an I will fall asleep right after it posts, so Marichat scene will probably happen tomorrow. Also man when did this version of Nathalie become so evil?


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got plot twists and minor character death in this chapter. Also I updated it because it was mostly just dialogue and not any descriptions.

Marinette was about to go home when there was a thump on her balcony. 

"Chat Noir!" She jumped out of bed and climbed up there. "I can't believe you're here."

"I heard about your investigation, and figured you wanted to talk to me."

"I did! Oh I have so many questions."

"As long as I don't reveal my identity, it should be fine." He chuckled. "You weren't going to ask for my id, were you?"

"No. Not at all." 

"Then go ahead."

Marinette flipped through her notebook, before she found a list. "Do you remember how you got your miraculous?"

"No." He shrugged. "One day, it just appeared on my desk, and then Plagg, you've met him, started screaming about cheese and I had to save the day."

"That's it?" Marinette wrote down what he had said, but it was barely anything. "It just appeared?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He shrugged.

"How did the ring appear, was it just magic?"

He shrugged again. "I don't really know. Plagg said that the guardian must have given it to me, but that doesn't make sense. If there was a guardian, why wouldn't he give me a partner?"

"Yeah, that is weird." She frowned, writing something else down. "Unless something happened to the guardian."

"That's a possibility that we can't ignore. But I'm not sure who the guardian is."

"Not sure? Do you have any ideas?"

"One? Maybe Two?" 

"Who?"

"First, I think it could be the mailman."

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue. "Go on."

"That's the only person who would've been able to deliver a package to my room. It just makes sense."

"But, if it was the mailman," she pointed out, "why didn't he deliver the miraculous to your partner."

"He was busy?" Chat shrugged.

"You said you had another idea of who the guardian could be?"

"Yeah. Vaguely."

"Okay, who?" Marinette flipped to an empty page. "If you know their name, we can probably track them down.

"The day that the miraculous appeared, I saved an old man crossing the street. I don't know his name. Maybe it was him? And that was some sort of test."

"Oh no." She started frowning.

"What?"

"What did he look like?"

Chat Noir scratched his head. "Really old. Balding, had a cane, super slow at crossing the street, uhhh cool bracelet..."

Marinette started aggressively sketching in her notebook, taking in every detail that he said. "Did he have a red Hawaiian shirt?"

"What?"

"Did he have a Hawaiian shirt?" She repeated.

"Yeah, actually, I think he did, how'd you know?"

Marinette showed Chat the rough sketch she had created. "Did he look like this?"

He nodded, impressed. "That's spot on. How did you draw that well?"

"I saw him crossing the street too. On the day of the first akuma."

"You did? Awesome." Chat was smiling. "Maybe you can figure out who my partner was."

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Yeah. If we both saw him, we can probably track him down somehow." Chat started listing off ideas. "We can look through social media, ask the police-"

"We can't." She her notebook closed. "It's impossible."

"It was a while ago, but I'm sure you can think-"

"No. I saw him crossing the street." She shook her head. "He didn't make it."

"What?"

Marinette's hands started shaking, as she spoke. "He was going so slow, but I had a big box of cookies. I set them down on the other side and was going to run back and help him, but-"

"He got hit." Chat finished.

"I was too late." 

"If it was a test, you failed." He commented, helpfully. 

"God." She crossed her arms. "I blamed myself for that for years. Do you really think that if I had helped him, I would've become a hero who could fix everything?"

"You're already a hero. Just without the suit."

"But I can't solve anything."

He shook his head. "You did not pass the vibe check."

She laughed a little. "This is no time for jokes."

"Okay, so the guardian was trying to find heroes but then he died. What happened to his stuff?" Chat Noir nodded. "He probably has some family that knows something, right?"

Marinette had to think back to all of the witness documents she had to sign. "His name was Mr. Fu. He had no known relatives, which is strange. It all got donated to antique shops and donation bins."

"At least that's a good cause."

"This is my fault. This is all my fault-" she buried her head in her hands and started sobbing.

"No, it's not. If he meant to walk into traffic, as a test or whatever, that's his own fault. You are not responsible." He pet her head. "You're not at fault."

She looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But I could've saved him-"

"You were 13. Anyone could've saved him." His voice shook, forgetting that they were talking about Marinette for a moment. "Why did it have to be me?"

"I don't know kitty." 

"So now what?" He shrugged. "We look for earrings at antique shops?"

"I don't know. Its been years. They could've been sold and traveled anywhere."

"Or they could still be in Paris."

"Its unlikely. If he was the guardian, I think the search is over." 

"What?"

"I'm giving up, Chat." She signed. "There's no hope of finding the miraculous. Its one in a million."

"You're one in a million. If anyone can find it, you can."

"I don't think I can."

"Still, you should update your friends. Nino and-" Chat Noir smirked. "The hot one, Maybe they can look."

"Adrien?" She raised an eyebrow.

"So, you agree that he's hot?"

"He's a model."

"Fair."

"I can't ask them to help. It's almost impossible."

"I can destroy anything that I touch. Nothing is impossible."

"Unlikely, then. You'd have to have crazy luck to find those earrings." She looked towards the ground. 

"Well, good for you, I know someone with crazy luck." He tapped her head.

"You do? Who?" She looked up. "Who has crazy good luck?"

"You, Marinette."

"No."

"Yeah." He smiled, the missing pieces connecting in the puzzle of his mind. "I think you're the answer I've been missing all along."

"No." She shook her head. "I just wanted to be your sidekick. I'm not a real hero."

"You're my other half. My partner."

"Without those earrings, I can't do anything."

"That's not true. You've saved me at least 5 times already."

"But I failed the test. It shouldn't be me saving people. Not anymore."

"Magic usually has a funny way of working itself out." He smiled. "I'm sure we can solve this."

"Maybe. I'll talk to Adrien and Nino." She nodded. "And keep an eye out for earrings. There's not much else we can do."

"No, but it's a start." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I bet none of you saw that coming.


	16. Chapter 16

Marinette explained the situation to Nino and Adrien the next day. Well, except for the whole part where she may or may not have accidentally been a part of the guardian's death.

She explained that something happened to the guardian, and the Ladybug miraculous was lost. All of his stuff got donated.

Adrien, was very enthusiastic, and ready to search. 

Nino... not so much. 

"I feel like this is the end, dudes."

"It's not. C'mon you guys, we can look so many places. Antique shops, second-hand stores. We have a chance."

"I like the enthusiasm." Marinette frowned. "But we really don't have that great of a chance. Not any more than Hawkmoth does. If the earrings were never activated, they'll just be like any other pair of earrings, until we out them on."

"Okay." Adrien shrugged. "So we just go around and try on every pair of old earrings we can."

"Sorry dudes, but I'm out. My ears aren't pierced and I don't think we can find them." Nino smiled. "I think this is all I needed."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked. "All you needed? We need to save everyone."

"No we don't." Nino shook his head. "I just wanted closure. I wanted to know that there's a slight possibility that everything would go back to normal."

"What?"

"I just need hope." Nino gave a small smile. "I don't think we can do it. Hell, we're just kids. But I think someone, someday, can."

"So that's it? We're just giving up?"

Marinette shrugged. "That's where I'm at too. I told Chat everything we know. There's not much else I can do."

"We can't give up yet, we're so close. I know that we can do this."

"I can't." Marinette bit her lip. "I'm with Nino. The hope is enough. Someday, everything will be okay."

"But what if it's not? You owe it to the universe to try, right? We're the only ones that know, we have to do something."

Nino sighed. "There's nothing to do."

"I just wanted an answer. That's what this was always about, answers. Not solutions." Marinette tilted her head. "And, I'll keep an eye out for those earrings, but I can't actively search for them. I've wasted enough time on this, I still have to apply to universities and figure out my life."

"Yeah, same dude. I've been so focused on this, that I don't know what to do now." Nino started to leave the room. "I'm gonna go home, and figure it out."

"We can't give up yet." Adrien pleaded. "Please. I can't do this alone."

It was too late. Nino had already left the bakery and was going on to discover a brilliant career as a DJ.

"Chat Noir is looking too." Marinette reminded him.

That didn't help, considering that Adrien was Chat Noir. "Why him? Don't you think that people are relying on him too much?"

"He's a hero. Its his responsibility."

"You're a hero too. Marinette, I've seen you personally take down four different Akuma. You can't quit now."

"Two."

"What?"

She squinted at him. "You've only seen me take down two Akuma. We took down the love one together, and you fell asleep as I was fighting the one at the photoshoot. You've only seen two."

Adrien started laughing nervously. "That's what I said."

"No. You definitely said four. That's weird. And you've known all sorts of random things, since the beginning. Things that you shouldn't know. The only person that saw the others was..." Marinette's jaw dropped as she realized the truth.

"Hahah I've got to go too." Adrien sprinted out the door before they could finish the conversation. "See you tomorrow at school."

"...Chat Noir?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm yes there will be two more chapters


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes, someone said that my writing is too dialogue heavy, which like yeah it is, I'm aware, I'm just better at writing dialogue, anyways this chapter I attempted to describe things better, let me know what you think. 
> 
> ^ that sounded kinda salty, so I wanted to clarify, I really do appreciate the feedback, I'm always trying to improve as a writer, thanks so much!

The next day at school, they didn't talk about the miraculous.

Adrien didn't talk to Marinette at all, actually. He wasn't actively avoiding her, but Kagami and her were talking about a tv show he didn't know and Nino was talking about a new song that he had just mixed, so it was easy to not talk to Marinette.

It hurt though. He really liked her. Adrien really wanted to tell Marinette the truth, but he couldn't. She knew too much. She was already in danger from helping Chat occasionally, she didn't need to know his secret. If Hawkmoth ever got to her, it would be the end.

No, it was better to keep quiet than to confirm her suspicions. 

During lunch, instead of going to the bakery, he and Nino ate outside. It was a pleasant change if scenery, but Adrien missed the smell of bread. He longed for the croissants. He-

Nino shoved him, "Dude, did you hear anything I just said or did you space out after I said Marinette?" 

"Sorry." Adrien scratched his neck sheepishly. "I was just thinking about her. About everything."

"Yeah. Its crazy, that someone could fix everything, but that's not what I was talking about."

"It wasn't?"

"No."

"Can you repeat what you said?"

"Yeah bro." Nino sighed. "I was saying that it's Marinette's birthday tomorrow and I still don't know what I'm getting her."

"Tomorrow?" Adrien felt his face pale.

"Tomorrow." Nino confirmed. "I feel like I need to get her the perfect gift, I think its time I tell her how I feel, word for word."

"I haven't gotten her anything." 

"I'm sure she'll love anything that you get her. But with me it's different. I've known her forever. I want it to mean something."

"Okay. And you're asking me for help?"

"I don't know." Nino shrugged. "Maybe? You like her as much as I do. Do you have any ideas?"

"You said you want it to mean something, right?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want it to mean? You said you want her to know how you feel, right? What is that feeling?"

"Love?" Nino frowned. "It's hard. I don't want to just get something that says 'i have a crush on you,' I want to get her something that says, 'i want the best for you and want you to be happy in this crazy world,' you know?"

"I never could've put that into words, but yeah. I know exactly what you mean." Adrien nodded. "If that's how you feel, you can just get her a t-shirt that says it." He turned his phone to show Nino the sample t-shirt he had just designed.

"Dude. No." Nino laughed. "Is that comic sans? That's horrible."

"I know." Adrien smiled, "Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah. It's definitely.... something. I think I should get her a gift that she would actually like, no offense."

"She likes fashion."

"If you're implying that _that_ shirt is fashion, then I'm going to report you to the fashion police Adrien Agreste. I don't care who your father is."

"That's not what I was saying." Adrien chuckled. "Think about what she likes and get a gift based off of that."

"I don't know anything about fashion. Should I get her a sewing machine?"

"No?" Adrien chuckled. "I'm pretty sure she has one."

"Then I'm out of fashion ideas."

"What about supplies? I'm sure she goes through a ton if those?"

"Like fabric?"

"Yeah. And markers, scissors." Adrien shrugged. "Or you could get her a new sketchbook."

"That's a good idea, especially with what happened with her last one, she could use another sketchbook or two." 

"I'll buy some pencils, if you get her a sketchbook, and maybe I can convince my father to give me some fabric that he's never used."

"Adrien, you're a genius!" Nino gave him a hug. "Marinette's gonna love this!"

He winked. "I'm just advanced, remember?" 

...

After school, and a lie on Adrien's part about another group project, Nino and Adrien went to the arts and crafts store.

Nino found a sketchbook that was the special brand that Marinette liked, with thicker paper and spiral bound. "This is the one. Its special, just like Marinette."

Adrien found himself staring at the candy, on sale from Valentine's day. "Special. Sweet. Chocolate." He ended up buying a bag, to hide in his backpack and snack on, when dinner was particularly bland.

Nino also bought a set of colored pencils. "When she's designing, she always runs out of colors. She loses them all the time. I can out all of this in a box with some macaroons."

"Yeah." Somehow, Nino had gotten a great gift, and Adrien still had no ideas. 

"Hey, cheer up man, I'm sure you'll think of something." Nino smiled as they walked out of the store. "You were gonna ask your father about fabric, right?"

"Right." Adrien nodded unconvincingly. "That'll work."

"You came up with this idea. You can take some credit if you want."

"Nah man. I just-" Adrien froze.

"You just what?" Nino stopped walking a couple steps after he did. "Hey? Dude?" He waved a hand in front of Adrien's face. "Are you there?"

"What?" Adrien blinked. "Whoa. That was weird."

"Yeah. We should probably get you home."

"No."

"No?" Nino sighed. "Adrien, you only have an hour until you have to be home. As much as I love spending time with you, you need to get home or you'll be grounded and then we won't-"

"Shh." Adrien placed a finger on Nino's lips. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

"I already do."

"Not helpful." Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Why are you crazy?"

"Because." Adrien pointed in front of him. "I need to go in there."

Nino had never done more than glance at the antique shop next to the crafts store. It was always an unsettling place, with the skeleton that may have belonged to a person in the window, next to a shelf of creepy dolls. The lights inside were flickering, as if even they didn't want to be there.

Now that he was staring, it didn't seem anymore welcoming. Nino personally didn't believe in ghosts, but every item in that shop felt haunted.

Nino looked back and forth between Adrien, the human version of sunshine and the creepy store, "Yeah, you've lost it."

"I can't explain it Nino, but I need to go in there." Adrien closed his eyes, and stretched his arms out in front of him. "I feel like I'm being pulled there."

Nino pushed his arms back down. "You're insane."

"Or it's magic, and I'm being summoned."

Nino rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you're crazy." 

"I'm going in." Adrien took a step forward. "C'mon."

"I'll wait out here, thanks."

He shook his head. "I really don't want to go alone."

"Fine." Nino sighed. "But if we get murdered, its your fault."

"That's fair, c'mon." Adrien took a step forward.

"After you pretty boy." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I lied, I think there will be like two or three chapters after this one.


	18. Did I really have to look up how to spell gramophone 3 times to make sure that that was the right word? Uhh yeah.

Adrien took a deep breath, and then Nino shoved him. 

"Hey, what was that for?" 

"You're being overdramatic, its kinda creeping me out dude. If you're gonna go in there, go." Nino pushed him again. "Or we can just go home, and you can ask your dad about fabric."

"Right." Adrien shook his head. "No. I need to go in there." His hand was pushing open the door, his feet were stepping inside. "It's calling me."

"I am right behind you."

Adrien didn't even hear Nino, as he walked into the antique shop. It was filled with what could only be described as a bunch of random old shit. There were old tables, porcelain dolls, chairs that had seen better days and even the musty smell of old books, a smell Adrien was familiar with, thanks to the book he found in his father's safe. Overall, the general vibe of the place was-

"-Creepy" Nino shuddered. "This whole place gives me the creeps." He started pointing at objects. "I'm pretty sure that that doll is gonna kill me and that mask will laugh and those chairs are gonna fall apart and-"

"Don't be rude." Adrien shushed him. "We're here for a reason."

"Yeah?" Nino frowned. "What reason is that, to die?"

"We aren't going to die here." 

"I'm pretty sure that we aren't gonna find a gift for Marinette either, c'mon dude. We should go, before we get hurt." He reached for Adrien's arm. 

Adrien walked deeper into the shop. "Nothing I here is gonna hurt us."

"What about those antique knives?"

"As long as we don't touch them, we will be fine." 

As Adrien crept deeper into the darkness of the store, Nino reluctantly followed. 

"I think we have what we need. We should go home."

"I'm almost there. I can feel it."

"Adrien-"

Adrien picked up a small box in front of him. "How'd you end up here?"

Nino frowned. "Why are you talking to jewelry like it's a person."

"It's not just any jewelry, look!" Adrien opened the box to show Nino.

"Wow." He responded sarcastically. "It's a boring pair of earrings."

"Not just any earrings." 

"Dude. Those aren't magical."

"How do you know what magic looks like?"

"How do you?" Nino countered.

Adrien wasn't going to admit that he was Chat Noir. "I just have a feeling. Marinette would love these."

"They're old."

Adrien ignored them and went to check them out. 

There was no one by the cash register.

...

After long wait, involving a confused sales clerk, earrings that "gave off creepy vibes" according to everyone except Adrien, and a disappearing wallet, Adrien and Nino walked out of the shop with the earrings, and an old gramophone, for free. 

The shopkeeper claimed that they gave off bad vibes and scared away customers, and was glad to get them off of his hands. 

Adrien felt the opposite way. He felt like it was his destiny to get those items. The universe was calling him or some shit.

Nino just wanted to leave. He had a gift for Marinette and he had to go over to the Dupain-Cheng bakery to plan a small party. Only Marinette's family and a few friends. 

And maybe he could finally tell her that he was in love with her. Or, he would, if she and Adrien weren't the two cutest people he'd ever seen. 

Nino was in love with Marinette, but Adrien seemed perfect for her. Shy where she was outgoing, they were both impulsive. Something about those two just seemed right. Marinette and Nino seemed like a good fit, but Adrien and Marinette seemed like soulmates. 

...

The while day at school, Adrien and Kagami did a good job of pretending that They had no idea that it was Marinette's birthday. Nino was absent, due to "family matters," and Marinette seemed suspicious, but she didn't say anything. 

She got a couple cards, from Rose and Juleka. Nathaniel gave her New markers, which was a sweet thought. Even Chloé was trying to be nicer than normal. Adrien had brought in a hot chocolate for her at the beginning of the day,(which was weird, she only drank hot chocolate with Chat Noir, and based on how Adrien reacted, that wasn't a conversation to have,) but he said it was because he accidentally got an extra. But Marinette's main friend group didn't say anything. 

It was really weird. 

For lunch, Kagami and Adrien dragged her to the park for a picnic. They wouldn't allow her to go home. They also wouldn't explain what was happening. Marinette was fairly certain that Nino was planning a party for her, but also, she had been wrong before. 

He would've told Adrien, and Adrien told her everything. Except the whole, he might be Chat Noir thing, which, if true, was a lot to unpack. 

Seriously. If one of Marinette's best friends was the guy she was in love with? Awkward. He hadn't even liked her as a friend when they first met, and there was the whole fight over gum... 

For now, Marinette was just going to act as if he was definitely not Chat Noir. And she wouldn't say anything unless she had definitive proof, or he brought it up.

He didn't bring it up. Usually they talked about everything. He told her how lonely he felt, and how he missed his mom. That seemed more personal than a secret identity... she had even met Plagg. 

It just didn't add up.

Maybe they just didn't know that it was her birthday. 

After school, she finally went home, Kagami and Adrien following close behind. 

She opened the door to her home and-

"Surprise!" Nino handed her a very messy cupcake. 

She took it suspiciously, inspecting it, to make sure that it met health standards. The inside wasn't raw, but the frosting looked horrendous. Marinette slowly took a bite. It wasn't horrible, but she had had much better cupcakes during her lifetime. She, as the child of bakers, could've outdone the frosting on that cupcake before she could write. 

"You made me cupcakes?" She gave Nino a hug. 

"You always make them for me." Nino smiled.

"He insisted that he make them himself." Sabine nodded proudly. "He's improved from last year."

"I'm just surprised that you let him in the kitchen." Marinette laughed.

Kagami turned to Adrien. "Does Nino cause problems in the kitchen?"

Adrien shrugged. "I don't know. We usually just play video games and listen to music. I've never made cupcakes with him."

Nino gave her a look. "I thought we didn't talk about-"

"We don't. You broke my oven." Sabine crossed her arms.

"I said sorry!" 

"Guys." Marinette laughed. "Thank you. Really, this was super sweet of you."

"This isn't it," Nino proudly pulled her in. "I rented your favorite movie,m, and we all got you presents."

"Mulan isn't my favorite movie." She rolled her eyes.

"I know," he winked. "This year, I actually rented Tarzan."

"You did?"

"I did!" 

She threw her arms around him. "And you got Adrien and Kagami in on this? This is the best birthday ever. Thank you guys."

"You're welcome."

"Of course Marinette."

"Yeah dude."

...

Later, Marinette got to open presents, and she felt so loved and cared for by all of her friends.

Kagami got her a sword, which, even if Marinette didn't fence, was badass, and would help protect her if she ever ran into akuma battles again. It also just was a big confidence booster. 

Kagami picked up the sword, to show Marinette how to properly hold it, and damn, she looked good.

Marinette stared at Kagami, and didn't even process what she was saying. She had fallen in love with one of her best friends. Marinette fell hard for Kagami, because, who wouldn't. 

Marinette's parents were not big fans of the sword, but Marinette promised she would just keep it on the wall. (She lied. She was planning on using it as needed, but she didn't want them to worry).

Nino got her a new sketchbook and pencils, her favorite brand. It was really sweet of him. He knew how much she loved to design. He clearly put a loud of thought and effort into the gift.

Nino also planned the whole party, which was so cool of him, even if it was the same party that they had had for years. It was nice.

Finally, Adrien got her some fabric. It wasn't just any fabric, it was Gabriel exclusive fabric. Adrien claimed that it was just some scraps and extras, but Marinette knew better. It was solid, usable fabric. No one in their right mind would've thrown it away, and Marinette was going to make many things out of it.

Her friends stayed till it was dark, eating cupcakes and watching disney movies and playing games. 

But the time they all went home, Marinette was ready to sleep. But she had one more gift waiting for her.

...

As Marinette put her pajamas on, there was a knock on the balcony. Slowly, she climbed up and yawned. "You should be asleep."

"Aww, princess," Chat Noir smiled, "I have a gift I wanted to give you."

"You already gave me fabric."

He stiffened. "Is there anyway I can get you to forget who I am?"

"No." She shrugged. "I'm still mad at you."

"Mad? Why would you be mad?"

"You let me confess my love to you without knowing. Do you know how dumb I feel? I really don't want to ruin out friendship over a silly crush."

"I didn't think it was silly."

"What?"

"I said, I didn't think it was silly." Chat Noir smiled. "Because, I had a crush on you too Marinette. I really like you, and I'd love to take you out on a date."

"You would? For real?"

"Of course. But as Adrien, if you still want me."

"Of course I still want you, you're the same person."

"That's a relief." He winked. "But if you didn't want me as Adrien, I could always take you as Ladybug."

She froze. "No way."

"Yeah way." He held out a little box. "Guess what I found?"

"How? Where?/how did you find them?"

"In a weird antique shop. It was like they were calling me."

"Crazy. I can't believe, after all this time, everything is gonna be okay."

"I can't believe that after all this time, ill have a partner."

She picked them up with shaky hands. "Ugh. Why am I being so dramatic? Do you really think this'll fix it all?"

"I think it will. If anyone can fix this, its you Marinette. You're finally my partner, like you were meant to be."

"Yeah." She popped the first earring in. "How will I know when they activate?"

"You just will. It might take a second."

"Will Plagg pop up? I don't have cheese."

"No, actually." He smiled. "I talked to Plagg. The Ladybug is named Tikki, and she eats cookies."

Marinette looked at the floor, thinking of the bakery below. "That's convenient."

"I know. You really are perfect for this. It's like fate."

"Or Destiny." Marinette put the other earring in and closed her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like that was a cliffhanger, and uhh now I have two alternate ways up could write this, do y'all want the longer version or the version where everything turns out fine in one chapter?
> 
> Here's some random notes:  
> 1  
> No one:
> 
> Me: guardian Adrien, guardian Adrien!! Guardian Adrien- GUARDIAN ADRIEN!!!
> 
> Also, originally I was going to have kagami as a different love interest for Mari but that never actually got written down, so it's in this chapter.
> 
> Umm yeah were almost done boiis.
> 
> Thanks for listening, probably only one or two chapters after this.  
> But also there was a big timeskip in this chapter that I may want to rewrite.


	19. Chapter 19

Nothing happened. 

Marinette opened her eyes, to look at Chat. She could feel herself standing, feel the chill of the wind. She heard the traffic and bakery noises below. 

Everything was real. 

It just wasn't working. 

She looked up at Chat Noir. "Why isn't it working?"

"I don't know." He bit his lip. "They should work."

"Maybe they had to be activated by the guardian or something."

"Well, unless we find a new guardian, then that won't work." 

"Yeah."

He closed his eyes for a second and projected a mental message to the earrings. _Activate._ It was simple but better than nothing.

"I thought-"

"I'm sorry." He cut her off. "This is my fault. I gave you false hope and I'm the one to blame here." _Activate_

"Does this mean that there's no hope?"

"I don't know." _Activate Damn it._ Oh, what was the kwami's name? Something that sounded Hawaiian... Hula? Luau? Tikki torch?

 _Tikki_ it was Tikki. 

Marinette looked close to tears. "Was it instant for you?"

"I don't remember." _Tikki, Activate._ He did remember and it had been. He had picked up the ring and Plagg just appeared. He didn't want to break Marinette's heart though. 

"So I guess we just wait?" She crossed her arms and Sat down with a sigh. 

"I guess." He sat down, face furrowed in concentration. _Tikki, Claws Out!_

After what felt like an eternity, she laughed. 

"I guess this is what they mean by bittersweet." Marinette shook her head. "I finally get some hope again and it's destroyed."

"No, we can do this. I know we can." Chat closed his eyes. _Tikki transform._

"No. I don't think we can." She brought her hand up to her ear. "I should probably give this back."

"No." _Tikki, Wake Up! "_ You don't have to." Chat smiled at her. "They were a gift." _Tikki, I swear to God..._

"thank you." She shrugged. "So I guess I'll see you at school Monday?"

 _Oh. Yeah. She knew his identity._ "Yeah." Chat chuckled. "You will. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. You tried. That's more than the rest of us did."

"I really thought that-"

"I know." She closed her eyes. "And now that it's not working, I'm realizing everything that we've lost."

"We can fix it. I know we can."

"I don't know how. And neither do you."

"I-" he looked down. "I guess I don't. But we can figure out how to get through it." _C'mon Tikki_

"that's all life is. Getting through stuff."

"Ups and downs. But it's easier with friends."

"Yeah. It is."

"I'm sorry. Happy Birthday."

"I was the one who pretended to be a hero-"

"You weren't pretending." _Tikki_

 _"_ I was. I'm not a hero."

"You were to me."

"Thanks."

"I should go-"

"Yeah-"

_Tikki, Spots on_

Before either of them could move, there was a bright red flash from the earrings. Suddenly, they became red with black spots, and a small, red kwami appeared in front of them.

Marinette rubbed her eyes. "You must be Tikki?"

"I am, that's new. Usually I have to introduce myself." The being said. "And you're my Ladybug..and that's Chat Noir and- something's not right."

"What's wrong?"

She floated over to Chat Noir. "You've been here for so long, fighting without a partner. You're in pain. And you." She went back to Marinette. "You know too much. And you're very dangerous. Where's the guardian?"

"Dead." Chat Noir shrugged. "I'm the new guardian."

"A destruction Guardian?" Tikki shook her head. "Can't say I've seen that before."

"Is that bad?"

"No. Its just... Interesting. I wonder why Fu chose you."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually. Guardians are patient and calm, like my Ladybugs-"

"-I'm not-" Marinette interrupted but was cut off as Tikki continued.

"-Cats are impulsive and stubborn. It was an unique choice." 

Chat frowned. "He didn't really choose anyone as a guardian. He just died."

"Everything he did was for a reason."

"He got hit by a car." Marinette deadpanned.

"Yeah." Chat winced. Not a lot of time to make choices.

"Interesting. That means that the universe chose you."

"Me?"

"Yes. I guess you might call it fate. Or something."

"Destiny."

"Thats another word for it." She looked back at Marinette. "So, clearly he's taught you some stuff... I'm assuming you know the basics?"

"Running, jumping, cataclysm?" Marinette nodded. "I've got it down."

"Cataclysm..." Tikki squinted. "You used the Cat Miraculous?"

"Plagg needed my help."

"Plagg never admits that he needs help. You must be something."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And by basics, I meant using the yo-yo, Lucky Charm and the Cure.'

"Yo-yo?"

"Your weapon."

Marinette frowned. "He gets a stick and I get a yo-yo?"

"Baton." Chat corrected. 

"Same thing."

"No, it extends." He clarified. "And its magic."

"I get a magic yo-yo. Watch what you say or I could strangle you."

"Well yes, but there's more than-"

Marinette had a one-track mind. "Can you explain the cure?"

Chat nodded. "Right. That's important. We've had five years of damage and no cures-"

"Five years?" Tikki scratched her head. "I don't know if I can fix everything with one cure."

"You can't?"

"I can always try. And if it doesn't work, we keep trying. Never give up."

"Never give up." Marinette repeated. 

"Now, lesson one. Transform and do a practice run with your partner."

"Partner? I'm just a sidekick."

"No, m'lady..you're my partner. Like you always were meant to be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like this is filler but also I couldn't make the earrings that easy, c'mon.


	20. Spots On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa guys, thanks so much for supporting throughout this fic. I can't believe I wrote over 24,000 words for one fic. That's crazy. And I had a whole string of weird crack fics right before this, this is really only like my second or third multi-chapter fic.   
> This chapter is long and intense, but everything turns out fine, I promise.

After Tikki went over the magic words with Marinette, (Spots On, "Lucky Charm," and "Miraculous Ladybug," not "Please," "Abracadabra" and "Open Sesame" ), it was time for her to finally transform.

After saying "Tikki, Spots On," Marinette closed her eyes and let the power flow through her. There was a bright flash as she transformed, a feeling both familiar and new. 

She had never been Ladybug before, but it felt right, like it was supposed to be. Fate, destiny, karma, whatever, the universe wanted Marinette to be Ladybug.

She heard a soft gasp from Adrien, who was currently Chat Noir. 

"What?" She smirked, "You didn't think I'd look this good?"

"Marinette," he was staring at her like she was a sky full of stars, "if I wasn't already in love with you, I would've fallen for Ladybug right now."

"You love me?" She looked down. "Like, me me?"

"Yeah I do. From the moment I first met you. You're brave and strong. Independent and fearless, and," he blushed, "that suit is hot."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same person?" She frowned. "I'm definitely cute, but I'm awkward and impulsive. I make so many mistakes."

"You do, but so do I. I can't tell you how many times I've messed up. You've had to help me out more than once. The universe wanted us to be partners. It was meant to be."

"Well, I've had a horrible crush on Chat Noir for years. Embarrassingly so. I used to help run the ChatBlog, with my friend Alya. I had pictures of you on my wall."

"No way."

"Yeah. I was obsessed. And then I met Adrien."

"I thought you just liked Chat because he was a hero."

"I did," she shrugged, "At first. Then I got to know him. And I liked all of him, even the flaws. You're a dork and you make bad jokes, but you're kind and always put the fate of Paris first. I admire that about you. And then I met Adrien and started to like him, which was really confusing for a but, but you're the same guy, so I actually only like one person."

"Whoa." He shook his head. "That is confusing. We created a love triangle, even though there's only two of us. I never said anything as Adrien because you liked Chat."

"I never said anything to Adrien because I thought he didn't like me." She chuckled.

"I was actually just really shy because I did like you." 

"That's crazy." 

"Do you wanna go on a date?" He blurted out.

"What?" She blinked. 

"I said, would you like to go on a date?" He repeated. "With me?"

"Now?" 

"No." He shook his head. "I mean, like, when this is all over. If we can fix everything, can I take you on date?"

"If we can fix everything, I'll marry you."

"Okay, Mari-"

"That wasn't supposed to be a pun." She groaned. "I regret everything."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "you can."

...

After a brief make out session and some superhero parkour, Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing in some rubble. 

It was practically indistinguishable from the area around it, filled with broken concrete and buildings and glass, so much broken glass, but Chat Noir insisted that it was where the first battle had taken place.

Ladybug surveyed the area skeptically. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Yes. How many times do I have to tell you, this is the place."

"I just feel like it would be easier to spot the Eiffel Tower under all this destruction."

He bent down and picked up some rocks. "Its in millions of pieces, like everything else, but it was definitely somewhere around here."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

Ladybug took a step, and as the ground crunched, she screamed. "Is that someone's skull?!"

"I think it was." He shrugged.

"How are you so nonchalant about this? Someone died!"

"A lot of people died, Bug. If I cried over every one, I'd get nothing done."

"How can you-"

"It's not easy to be a hero if you can't save everyone. I've been holding out hope for years."

"Why?"

"For you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Please, don't look too closely at any of the damage. There's a lot of scary stuff."

"Okay. I won't."

"Just try the cure. If it fixes everything, then it'll be okay."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We can cross that bridge if we come to it."

"Okay." She closed her eyes. "Lucky Charm!"

A little Eiffel Tower keychain fell from the sky into her hands. 

She chuckled. "I haven't seen this in a while. It'll be weird if the tower actually comes back."

"What is it?"

"It's just a keychain. Of the old tower."

"Do you think that's a good sign?" His heart was beating faster, panicking a little. "Do you think that the universe is telling us that it'll be okay? Or is it mocking us?"

"Only one way to tell." She threw it up as high as she could. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Three things happened at the same time. 

First, the keychain disappeared.

Then, thousands of little Ladybugs flew out from the sky and began fixing Paris. Chat Noir watched in awe as they pieced the Eiffel Tower back together, piece by piece. 

Every building once again stood tall. Parked cars returned.

There were even people, sitting up, looking confused. Completely healed. 

Even little things were fixed. The four-year long headache that Chat had received from an Akuma called "Migraine" faded away. He also regained his ability to see the color blue, a result of an angry art student.

In the distance, he could see the Arc de Triumph, the Louvre, Notre Dame and other Parisian symbols being rebuilt.

It was incredible. Amazing. Miraculous.

The third thing that happened, was that Ladybug- Marinette, detransformed and collapsed. 

He hadn't even seen it happen. He was so focused on everything else, that by the time he looked back at her, she was on the ground.

He rushed over, terrified, and placed a hand on her neck. 

He couldn't find a pulse. 

He reached for her wrist, and he still couldn't feel anything. 

Chat Noir lost it. He couldn't look at her. His eyes welled up with tears and he started sobbing like never before. 

He hadn't cried that much since his mom died.

They had finally fixed Paris, but at what cost? 

Marinette mattered more to him than the whole city. The while world. He would tear apart the Eiffel Tower beam by beam if it meant that she would come back.

And then she coughed.

He wiped the years from his eyes and turned back to look at her. "Marinette? Are you there?"

She sat up weakly. "Did we do it?"

He wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah, we did it bug. You saved us all."

"I feel like crap." She coughed again. "I didn't realize that being a hero was so exhausting."

"I'm so glad you're Okay."

"We did it." She smiled weakly. "Now I'm gonna go nap for like an hour."

"Do you need me to carry you home? I didn't use my power, so I have time. You look like you're going to fall over." 

She stood up, and felt herself start to sway, so she sat back down. "That would probably be smart, but first, there's a place I need to go."

"You need to go home. To sleep."

"No." 

"I need to get to that old apartment building on the edge of the Akuma district, you know? The one that was barely standing, with the shattered Windows?"

"And the fire escape that anyone could climb up to the roof?"

"Yes." She nodded. "That's the one."

"I'm familiar. I can take you there." He picked her up, bridal style in his arms. "And then we're taking you home."

"Deal."

...

After be set her down at the requested location, she looked around. "I don't understand."

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I fixed everything?"

"You did." He nodded. "I watched little Ladybugs fly around and return everything back to normal."

"But she's missing." Marinette's eyes started to water. "She was right here. She should be here."

"Alya." Chat whispered.

"It was supposed to fix everything. She was supposed to be okay." Marinette was stumbling over her words. "She should be right here."

"Maybe the magic moved her?" Chat suggested.

"No. She should be right here. Somethings wrong."

"You saved the world. We should be celebrating."

"All magic comes at a cost." 

"That's not true. I've destroyed so many things accidentally and it rarely backfires-"

"This is the cost. I'm a hero now. I couldn't save my best friend so now I save everyone else instead."

"I bet she's fine. She's probably at home, or with Nino, or-"

"You don't know that." Marinette's voice cracked. "We have no idea how any of this works, and frankly, I'm terrified. I think I just lost my best friend. For real. For the second time."

"If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm-"

"I just want you to take me home."

"Are you still up for ice cream? I'm free Friday."

"I want to go home and cry." Her face softened. "But Friday sounds good."

"It's a date."

...

After Chat Noir dropped her off on her balcony, and another brief make-out session, Marinette climbed down to her bed and started crying.

She faceplanted into the mattress and started sobbing all over the pillows. 

She heard her door creak open, but ignored it in favor of continuing to weep. After a while, there was the soft sound of someone clearing their throat.

"You know, its usually considered rude to ignore other people."

"Alya!" Marinette threw her arms around her best friend. "You're okay."

"I told you I would be. You saved us Ladybug." She hugged her back.

"I guess I did." She shrugged. "I still don't know how you predicted that."

"Please. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that you were itching to join the fight. No one else was crazy enough to throw stuff at Akum, even from a distance. After all of my research, I figured that no one would be able to fix everything as well as you could."

"You were right." Marinette wiped her eyes dry. "I took down one Akuma with a bag of sugar and my bare hands. Other than Chat Noir, no one even tried to fight."

"I'm always right. It just took a little longer than I thought."

"Two years." Marinette looked her up and down. "You were a stature for two years. How do you feel? Do you remember any of it?"

"I feel completely fine. One moment I was on the roof with you and Nino, the next, I climbed down and walked to your house. I knew I'd find you here."

"You don't remember it at all?"

"No. It was like no time passed at all." Alya laughed. "But I checked and my phone has like 50 updates, so that's not fun."

"Only you would be worried about phone updates at a time like this."

"I mean-"

"Its good to have you back, Alya, it really is."

"I'm glad to be back."

"Oh, you'll never believe it, I'll have to introduce you to our new friends."

"Marinette!" Alya gasped. "You made friends without me?"

"Nino helped," she blushed, "but yeah, we did. I actually got a boyfriend without you."

"Don't tell me that you ruined my plans of setting up you with Chat Noir," Alya raised an eyebrow, "after I disappeared, Nino and you-"

"No!" Marinette laughed. "Nino's like a brother to me. And he's still in love with you. I'm dating Adrien."

"Adrien?"

"Adrien Agreste. He's one of our new friends. You'll have to meet him soon."

"Agreste? Like the clothes?"

"Yeah. But he's very _chatty,_ if you get what I mean."

"Oh? OH." Alya in fact, did get what she meant. "Thats perfect." She started rubbing her hands together like she was coming up with an evil scheme.

"And I got through Physics without you. That was hard."

"I forgot about school. I don't even know if I'll be able to graduate with you guys." Alya gasped. "Two whole years? I'm so behind on everything school."

"Ella and Etta are getting so big now. I've been babysitting them a lot and-"

Alya shook her head. "I've missed a lot."

"Oh, you have no idea." Marinette gave her another hug. "We should schedule a picnic for this weekend, to get the whole class back together. You aren't the only one who's been gone."

"That sounds like a great idea. I can't wait to see all the new faces."

"It'll be so much fun!" 

"Why not Friday? That's usually picnic day."

"I have a date Friday." 

"I can't believe that my Marinette is all grown up, going on dates and stuff."

"I'm glad you're back. Even if you're just going to tease me."

"I was always going to tease you. I really am proud of you though. My best friend saved the city."

"I couldn't have done it without your research."

"I know. That's why I told you everything I knew." Alya smiled at Marinette. "I knew that no matter what happened, you would be able to save me."

"I don't know how you had that kind of confidence in me. I didn't even have that kind of confidence in myself."

"Please. I'm you're best friend. I'm supposed to hype you up. And you're really awesome Mari. Don't well yourself short."

"I missed you."

"It's good to be back."

Finally, everything was back to some semblance of normal for Marinette.

She had missed spending time with her friends, instead if being obsessed over the miraculous. Marinette really had focused on fixing things for years. It was weird to think that she had finally done it.

Alya was back.

Finally, everything seemed to be all right. It was like she had found the final piece to a broken puzzle, and suddenly everything was clear again. 

It was all falling into place.

...

Everything in Paris was fixed. The buildings restored, Windows repaired, and people revived.

Except for one.

Emelie Agreste lay beneath the Agreste Mansion, where she had remained for the duration of Hawmoth's reign of terror.

And somewhere above, in the attic, Hawkmoth was finally planning the end of the heroes. 

After all, now that he knew both miraculous were in Paris, and Ladybug could fix any damages that he may cause, he had nothing to lose.

Except Adrien. Keeping Adrien safe and cared for was his top priority, but that didn't mean that he was going to stop his hunt for the miraculous.

In fact, since the fabled Ladybug miraculous was revealed to exist and be located in Paris, Hawkmoth wasn't going to give up anytime soon. It only gave him more reasons to continue to create havoc on Paris. 

But he was going to spend more time with his son. Starting with dinner. 

And he definitely would have to meet with Adrien's girlfriend and interrogate her about Chat Noir. Surely she would have new information that would help him get closer to the miraculous, closer to giving Adrien his mother back.

It was all falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I bet y'all thought I killed Marinette off for a minute. I could never.  
> Also Alya.  
> I can't kill off any of the main characters. Except maybe Gabriel Agreste he's the worst. I could definitely kill off Nathalie with no regret lol.
> 
> I can't believe it's finally over. Thats crazy.
> 
> I might end up writing an epilogue, but for now, this is it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been line three months, call email ceo of forgetting about writing an epilogue lol. I have written multiple fics since this one, but I'm so glad to add another chapter.

Marinette's ice cream date with Adrien was perfect. They had absolutely no trouble finding Andre the ice cream man, _and_ he didn't get upset at Marinette's lack of a love interest for once (long story short, once she accidentally caused an Akuma)

Their flavors meshed together in a way that tasted incredible, like it was meant to be. 

The miraculous cure worked, better than expected fixing everything that had been damaged and restoring Paris back to some semblance of normalcy.

After the ice cream, Adrienette went back to Adrien's house to watch a movie and snack on some (butter-free, low-fat) popcorn.

They continued the trend of watching disney movies together by watching both of the Frozen films. Adrien had never seen them before and cried multiple times, which he used as an excuse to cuddle with Marinette.

It was perfect. Marinette had been worried about dating, even though Adrien was an amazing guy and she liked him, but nothing went wrong. 

It felt like the universe was telling her that they were meant to be.... along with a lot of other not so subtle signs from the universe, like Tikki telling her that Chat Noir and herself were soulmates, and Alya saying that she had never seen Marinette so happy. 

Everything pointed to them being together, like they were meant to be.

When Marinette finally had to go home, (because curfew), Adrien offered to walk her, but Nathalie pushed him to bed, after promising that Marinette could get a ride with the Gorilla. 

As Marinette followed Nathalie, she frowned. "This isn't the exit. I should really be going home soon-"

"Its fine." Nathalie gave her a smile. "If your parents are worried, Mr. Agreste will reassure them." She opened a door. "Come inside."

"Inside his office?"

"Yeah. He wants to talk with you."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Last time I was here, he took one look at me and got sick-"

Nathalie nudged her, and Marinette walked in, sitting in a seat in front of Gabriel Agreste's desk. 

"Hello, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." He took a breath. "I understand that you and Adrien are now dating?"

"Yes. We are and I love him-" 

"I wasn't questioning your loyalty to my son, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Anyone could tell that you two are smitten with each other. It reminds me of how I was with Emeile." 

She blushed. "Thank you."

He frowned. "Unfortunately, that isn't what I called you in here to talk about."

Marinette flinched. "It isn't?"

"You love my son, correct?"

"Yes."

"Are you willing to do anything for him?:"

Marinette stared at Gabriel with more conviction than he had seen in his life. "I would die for Adrien."

"Hopefully you don't have to."

"That would be unfortunate, yeah." She rolled her eyes.

He cleared his throat, changing topics. "I think you have information that I need."

"Me? Information that you need? I don't know anything-"

"You know how to get in contact with Chat Noir." It wasn't a question.

"No. I'm just a normal girl." She denied. "Why would I know anything about-"

"I've been watching you, Marinette."

"That's creepy."

Nathalie had to silence a laugh.

"You have fought alongside Chat Noir multiple times. You single-handedly took down three different Akuma, without a miraculous."

"Those were just flukes. Adrenaline rushes, you know?"

"Marinette, stop lying to me. I know the truth."

"You don't know anything." 

"I know that you are willing to fight Akuma to save your friends. I know that you can contact Chat Noir and, I am about 90% positive that you are the Ladybug that fixed all of Paris' damage."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. "Really? Because I could really use someone to talk to about it. Adrien knows, but no one else. The whole secret identity thing really takes a lot out of a girl."

Gabriel Agreste started laughing. "You think I called you in here to become your confidant?"

Marinette looked around. "I don't know, it definitely seemed like that's the direction you were heading in."

"I like you. You seem like a nice girl. Good for Adrien."

"I don't see what this has to do with-"

"His mom is in a coma, you know?"

"He's mentioned it."

"A magical coma."

"What are you implying?"

"I need your miraculous and Chat's to make a wish and save her."

"Look." Marinette stood up. "I know you want to do good, but I can't do that."

"Yes you can, it would be so easy."

"Not as easy as you may think. Magic comes with a price. To save your wife, another would fall into a coma."

"I've calculated the risks. Nathalie is willing to take that burden for me."

"That's horrible."

"So is keeping Adrien's mother in a perpetual coma when you could save her. Imagine how happy he would be to have her back."

"I can't betray Chat Noir."

"Even for Adrien? The love of your life?"

Well, Adrien was Chat Noir, but Marinette wasn't going to out him like that. Marinette groaned. "If Adrien himself asked me to steal Chat's ring for him, I wouldn't do it." 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She frowned. "And how do you know so much about me anyways? The only people that were there during the attacks were me, Chat and... the akuma."

"Don't worry about it. Just give me your miraculous." He deflected.

"I can't give my miraculous to every person who asks." Her hand was on the door handle, slowly turning it, so she could exit the conversation.

Gabriel laughed, a bright purple light surrounding him. "Oh, Marinette-"

She froze, watching as a mask covered his entire face and head, and his clothing transformed into a suit she has only seen in nightmares and visions. "Hawkmoth?"

"-I wasn't asking."

Marinette broke into a full sprint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, and I think I mean it this time. It's a little but of a cliffhanger, so it's up to interpretation. Also, I might write a different story that's a part two, but that's a whole different issue that I Will figure out after I finish AP tests.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways, thank you so much for reading this, if you liked it, ive written a lot and you can check some if my other stuff out.  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> ...
> 
> Hey, do you read/write/art for this fandom? Check out the [ miraculous fanworks ](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) discord server.


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